Secrets
by Tardis-in-mordor
Summary: Clary Fray is in abusive relationship with her fiancee Sebastian. When she becomes Jace Wayland's new assistant, the road gets rougher. Will she be able to keep her secret from Jace?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the Mortal Instruments or any of its characters. Cassandra Clare does.

* * *

The door slammed to the penthouse slammed open, causing her to jump slightly.

"Clarissa, dear, come here!" Sebastian called out. The sound of her fiancé's sickeningly sweet voice made her skin crawl. After buttoning her blouse, she gingerly walked into the living room. Sebastian was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Yes, Sebastian?" Clary said tentatively. She could smell the alcohol on him from several feet away. A drunk Sebastian was never was never a good Sebastian, especially in the morning.

He opened his eyes and looked her over. A frown appeared on his face. "Where are you going?" he slurred.

Clary refrained from rolling her eyes. "Work, Sebastian," she answered while looking around for a coat. She located one and slipped it on before heading towards the door. "I'm already running late. I'll see you when I get home."

She reached for the door, but his hand shot out and caught her wrist. He spun her around to face him and looked down at her with dark eyes. He pinned her to the door and brought her face to his, brushing his lips against hers. "You're already late. What's another half hour going to do?"

Shaking her head, she tried to push him off of her. "Not now, Seb. You're drunk and I've been late everyday this week because of you. Luke's threatened to fire me if I don't get my act together."

In response, Sebastian grabbed her hips and pulled her against him. He brought his mouth next to her ear. "All you worry about is work. I just want to have some fun with my soon-to-be-wife. Is that too much to ask?"

She thought about it for a moment before shoving him away. "Yes, it is. I really need to get going."

Clary turned to leave, but Sebastian grabbed her again, harder than before. His fingers dug into the flesh of her upper arm and she knew there would be bruises. "You're cheating on me with one of those lawyers aren't you?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Her jaw dropped and she stared at him with wide eyes. How could he accuse her of something like that? "Seb-"

His hand cracked across her face, cutting her off. "You _whore_!" he yelled, finally losing his temper. "I give you a good home, find you a nice job, and ask you to marry me and this is how you repay me? By fucking somebody else behind my back? It's Wayland isn't it?"

"I'm not cheating on you!" she yelled. "Especially nor with Ja-"

"I'm not stupid, Clarissa!"

"Seba-"

" Just leave already. I don't even want to look at you right now."

"Sebastian," she said quietly, trying to calm him down. "I would never, ever, cheat on you."

"Get. Out." he seethed, opening the door and shoving her into the hall.

Clary held herself together until she got into her car, where she broke down into sobs.

She missed the old Sebastian. The Sebastian she fell in love with. The Sebastian that would never even _think_ of laying a hand on her. But that Sebastian left months ago when his father died, leaving a monster in his wake. At first, there would be an argument here or there with harsh words and insults. Then it escalated into slaps until he finally started full on beating her.

Clary had let it go in the beginning, thinking it was just his way of dealing with his father's death. After all, he would always apologize profusely the next day and buy her flowers. She now knew how wrong his behavior was, but couldn't bring herself to leave him. She was holding on to a tiny thread of hope that he would go back to his old self. However, as the days went by, that seemed less and less likely.

* * *

She pulled into the parking garage and double checked herself. Once deeming herself presentable- emerald eyes no longer bloodshot and bruises fully covered by makeup- she made her way inside the building.

In the center of the lobby was a large marbled desk with the words "Garroway and Lightwood" in gold plated letters on the front. Behind the desk sat a caramel skinned girl with dozens of braids in her hair. She looked up from the computer and smiled at Clary.

"Late again, Clarissa? You should be ashamed of yourself," she mock scolded.

Clary shrugged and leaned on the counter. "You know me, Maia. I'll be late to my own funeral."

Maia laughed for a few seconds before stopping abruptly and scowling at something behind Clary.

"Hey, Fray," a honey smooth voice said as an arm was slung over her shoulders. She stiffened at the contact and looked up to find golden eyes staring down at her.

Clary forced a smile. After the morning's events, Jace was the last person she wanted to see. "Hello, Mr. Wayland," she greeted while removing his arm.

He smirked at her. "Luke wants to see you in his office right away."

Something about his expression made her feel uneasy; like he knew something she didn't. She nodded and walked briskly over to the elevators. The reflective metal doors slid open and she enter, Jace behind her.

She looked at him curiously as he pressed the button for the floor she needed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me, Mr. Wayland."

Another smirk covered his face. "In case you have forgotten, my office is right across from Luke's."

"Oh, believe me, I haven't forgotten."

His smirk grew wider. "I suppose you haven't. It would be pretty hard to forget having this," he gestured to himself and ran a tan hand through his golden curls, "right across the hall. So close, yet so far away."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No. It's hard to forget the egotistical asshat across the hall."

He cocked his head to the side. "Asshat? That's a new one. I actually quite like it."

Crossing her arms across her chest, she glared at the elevator doors as they reached their floor. She stepped out the second the doors opened, desperate to get away from Jace. She was outside Luke's door when he called to her.

"Clary?" She looked back at him. "Good luck," he said with a wink and disappeared into his own office.

_Luck?_ she thought. _Why would I need luck?_ Another bad feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. She slowly opened the door to reveal Luke leaning back in the chair behind his desk with his eyes closed.

She cleared her throat and he opened his soft blue eyes. "You wanted to see me?" she asked nervously.

Luke nodded and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat." She sunk down into one of the plush, leather chairs and waited for him to speak again. He smiled softly at her. "Clary, you have probably been the best assistant I've ever had." She smiled at the compliment. "However, I don't currently have the need for an assistant."

The smile fell from her face. "Oh my God. You're firing me," she whispered.

His eyes grew wide and he sat up straight. "Oh, no. I could never fire you."

Clary sighed in relief, but the relief quickly turned to confusion. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm handing you over to somebody who desperately needs an assistant. A good one at that."

"Who?" She didn't want to leave Luke. He was probably the best boss she would ever have. He was laid back, actually cared about her well being, and had taken on a kind of father role to her over the past few years.

"Jace," he replied simply.

"No!" she said a little to loudly, shocking Luke. She coughed awkwardly. "I mean, I can't work for him."

"Why not?"

_Because of Sebastian._ "Do you want a list? He's a jerk, his ego is huge, and he's had more assistants than actual clients. There's more if you'd like to hear."

Luke chuckled softly. "No, that won't be necessary. However, those reasons are exactly why he needs you. He's a great lawyer and needs someone like you to keep him in check and help clean up his act."

Clary sighed deeply. "Luke, I-"

He raised a hand in the air to silence her. "Please, just try."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she exhaled slowly. "Fine," she muttered, standing up. One questioned echoed in her mind. _What is Sebastian going to think?_

He grinned at her. "Terrific. I told Jace I'd send you over right away."

She paused at the door. "If it doesn't work out, I can have my old job back, right?"

"Of course."

She nodded in acknowledgement and crossed the hall. Jace's door loomed in front of her and she stared at it for a few moments. Finally, she raised her fist and knocked lightly on the surface.

* * *

**AN: This is my first fanfic, so sorry if it sucks. But you should review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I somehow ended up without homework tonight, so I wrote another chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time. It made me feel all good about myself. c:**

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

A muffled "come in" sounded through the door an Clary cautiously entered the room. The first thing she noticed was Jace's disheveled appearance. His suit jacket was slung carelessly over the back of his chair, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and he was sifting through a mess of folders and files on his desk with frantic eyes.

"Everything alright, Mr. Wayland?" she asked.

His head snapped up and relief flooded his expression. "Thank God you're here. I have an appointment with a client in a few hours and can't find the case file."

She rose her eyebrows at him. _What kind of lawyer loses case files?_ "This involves me how?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I need you to help me find it. That's kind of your job after all."

"Whose to say I took the job?" she questioned, crossing her arms.

"Would you be here if you hadn't?" he countered. "Besides, nobody in their right mind would resist the opportunity to work for me."

Clary scoffed. "I could easily resist."

"But you didn't."

"Only because I can't say no to Luke."

Jace tsk'd. "Excuses, excuses."

Her eyes narrowed and she decided to change the subject. "What's the client's name?"

"Santiago, Raphael. There's a lawsuit against him claiming discrimination against one of his hotel's employees."

She walked over to the beige filing cabinet and opened one of the drawers to find papers and folders haphazardly thrown in it. "Geez, who the hell was your assistant before me?" Reluctantly, she began to search through the unorganized files.

Jace, who had gone back to searching through his pile of papers, sighed. "Aline."

Clary froze at the name. "Penhallow?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Didn't know how to do her job worth shit." He looked up at her with a smirk. "At least not the one she was _paid_ to do."

She gaped at him from across the room. "That's disgusting."

He shrugged. "She _is_ a pretty nasty girl, if you know what I mean."

Clamping her hands over her ears, Clary groaned disgust. "Stop it or I'll never survive another family dinner with her."

"You're related to her?" Surprise colored his voice.

"Oh, God, no. Unfortunately, she's my fiancée's cousin."

Jace stopped what he was doing. "You're engaged to Sebastian _Verlac_? Of Verlac Industries? That man has more lawsuits against him than I've had girlfriends."

"That's what happens when you own of the biggest corporations in the country." His lawsuits didn't worry her. Most of them were lies designed to ruin his image and he would end up winning them anyway.

They worked in silence for a few minutes until Jace spoke up again. "You going to take his last name?"

"Um, yeah." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jace scrunched up his nose. "What was that expression for?"

"Clary Verlac just doesn't sound right to me," he said nonchalantly. "I think you should keep Fray."

Clary mentally laughed at the thought of what Sebastian's reaction to that would be. She was about to give up on searching for the file when an idea came to mind. She scooped up the drawers contents and dumped it on the floor and did the same for the rest of the filing cabinet.

"What the hell are you doing, Fray?" Jace exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes, she pointed to the papers on the floor. "If we're going to find that file, we need to organize all this."

* * *

Two and half hours later, the duo had successfully organized most of the client records and case files by alphabetical order into the filing cabinets and Jace had found the Santiago file. Clary was currently scouring the supply closet for some extra folders to put the left over papers in. She finally located them and grabbed and handful before heading back to Jace's office. At the end of the hall, she spotted a familiar, shaggy-haired boy.

"Simon?" she called. He turned around and she noticed his face didn't light up like it used to when he saw her. She stopped a few inches in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my girlfriend," he replied curtly.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Me and Izzy started dating about three weeks ago. You would know that if you bothered talking to us anymore."

She felt a pang in her chest. Sebastian had forbid her from seeing Simon for awhile. He thought it was inappropriate to spend so much time with a guy that wasn't him. "I-I'm sorry. These past few months have been very," she paused to think of the right word, "hectic."

"It's fine. You're going to be married soon. Obviously you don't need your best friends anymore."

Her heart clenched. "Si, I need you more than you think."

"Really? What exactly do you need me for?" he demanded.

She chewed on her bottom lip. There was no way she could explain about Sebastian. Not yet. "I- I can't tell you."

He shook his head slightly. "You've changed, Clare, and I don't like it. Call me when you go back to the old you; the one who could tell me anything and actually talked to me." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared down the hall.

Her eyes burned and a lump formed in her throat, but she pushed the tears away and returned to Jace's office. He looked up from the computer as she placed the folders on his desk.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

She nodded meekly. "Just tired."

He glanced down at his watch. "I have another hour until Santiago comes. Wanna go get coffee?"

Clary graciously accepted and they walked down to the closest Starbucks. They sat a table, both drinking black coffee, and talked about random things. Jace would say something funny and she would laugh, but her heart wasn't really in it. Her encounter with Simon kept replaying in her head. She missed her best friends. She hadn't even seen Izzy in over a month and they worked in the _same building_. The guilt of being such a terrible friend knotted her stomach.

* * *

The rest of her day was spent doing little jobs for Jace; organizing files, confirming appointments, cleaning here and there, and going on coffee runs. It was well past midnight when she finally arrived home.

Entering the penthouse, she was relieved to see that Sebastian had already gone to bed. Seeing him would mean confessing about her new boss and she wasn't read for that just yet. Silently, she made her way to the bedroom and her heart dropped.

Sebastian was waiting in the room for her, eyes swimming with rage. "You were supposed to be home over two hours ago, Clarissa." His voice was deadly calm.

"I lost track of time," she stated.

He ignored her comment. "So, I heard you're working for Wayland now."

Her eyes grew wide. "H-How did you learn that?"

Waving a dismissive hand in the air, he replied. "I have my resources." He stared her down for a moment. "I don't want you working there anymore."

"Are you asking me to quit?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, I'm not _asking_."

She knew what that meant. He wasn't going to take no for an answer and there would be consequences for resisting. The same thing had happened when he didn't want her to hang out with Simon. Despite this, she found herself getting angry. "Well, that's not going to happen."

He closed the space between them and struck her. "I think you're going to do what I say, Clarissa."

Cradling her cheek, she held her ground. "You already made me lose my friends, you don't get to take away my job, too. You don't _own_ me, Sebastian."

He roughly clutched her right wrist and held her hand up. "I think the diamond ring on your finger says otherwise."

"We're not married yet. Until we are, that ring means absolute shit."

He grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her cheeks. "You are _mine_, Clarissa. Clearly you need a lesson on just how much you control I have over you."

Suddenly, she was flung onto the bed with Sebastian on top of her.

* * *

**Review. :D Or don't. I'm not here to tell you what to do.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

She sat on the bed with her knees brought up to her chest, terrified. It wasn't the first time Sebastian had forced her into sex, but it was the first time he did it completely sober. Not a drop of alcohol was in his system and that horrified her. At least when he was drunk she knew his judgment was clouded. Being sober meant he _wanted_ to do what he did.

Sebastian stirred in his sleep next to her and she involuntarily flinched. Silently, she slipped off the bed and went into the bathroom. Clary gasped at the sight of her naked body in the mirror. Large, purple bruises covered her arms, hips, and thighs. Gently, she poked one on her wrist and winced at the sharp pain.

This was bad. Very bad. _I need to get away_, she thought to herself. _Just for a few days to let him calm down a bit._ Quietly, she walked into the closet and got dressed in sweats and a long sleeved t-shirt. Then, she grabbed a suitcase and threw a week's worth of clothes into it.

Once back in the bedroom, she glanced at Sebastian's sleeping form. Her mouth betrayed her and turned up in a small smile. He looked so peaceful while sleeping. His dark hair was a tousled mess and his lips pouted out like a child's. She lingered there a moment longer, basking in the innocence and calmness of the scene.

She tiptoed all the way out of the penthouse, afraid of waking him up. Once the door clicked behind her, she let out the breath she had been holding. She pulled her phone out and dialed her mother's number. Clary felt bad for calling her at two in the morning, but it was important.

The line rang three times before Jocelyn's slightly angry voice came through the speaker. "Clary? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I know it's late and I'm sorry. I was just wondering if I could stay with you for a little while. Sebastian and I," her voice cracked, "got into a really bad argument."

"Oh, Clary," Jocelyn's voice was now soft and full of concern, "of course you can stay here."

"Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll leave the door unlocked. Love you."

"Love you, too."

She hung up and quickly sent a text to Sebastian: _Staying with my mom. Be back when things cool down._

* * *

Light streamed in through the window and pulled her from sleep. She sat up and glanced at the clock. _9:14 _blinked in bright red letters. With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. Her whole body ached and she had to be at work in less than hour. To make matters worse, she knew her mom was going to interrogate her about Sebastian since she hadn't pried at all lat night.

Clary crawled out of bed despite her body's protests. In record time she showered, got dressed, and did her hair and make up. She looked at the clock again before going downstairs. _9:40_. Good. She had plenty of time for her mother's questions.

She found Jocelyn in the kitchen, staring out the window with a steaming cup of coffee between her hands. Clary poured her own cup and sat down at the kitchen table. Her mother looked over at her.

"So, what's going on with you and Sebastian?" she asked, taking a seat across from her daughter.

"Good morning to you, too, Mom," Clary muttered. "We've just been fighting a lot." It wasn't a complete lie, so she didn't feel too bad about it.

"Fighting about what?"

Clary sighed and closed her eyes. "Everything. The wedding. My job. His job. Even little things like what to make for dinner. We can't seem to agree on _anything._"

Jocelyn frowned slightly. "It sounds like you just need some time away from him. Get out a little and do something fun. Speaking of which, are you going to the Lightwood's party on Saturday?"

Clary tensed and looked up at her mom. "What party?"

"Max's birthday party. Didn't Simon and Isabelle invite you?"

She shook her head and stood up. "We're not exactly on good terms." Before her mom could press for details, she rushed to the door. "I have to go now. See you when I get home."

Clary's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as she drove to the law firm. Simon and Izzy really were mad at her. Never before had Izzy thrown a party without inviting Clary, not even during their worst falling outs. Was their friendship really over already?

* * *

"You feeling okay, Fray?" Jace's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "You've been staring at that wall for a good fifteen minutes."

She felt herself flush. She had been distracted all day with thoughts of Sebastian, Isabelle, and Simon.

"Just got a lot going on, Mr. Wayland," she said, turning to face him.

A small frown appeared on his face. "Stop that."

She tilted her head to the side. "You're going to have to be more specific."

He rolled his eyes. "Stop calling me 'Mr. Wayland.' It's weird and I don't really like it."

"Like I care, _Jace_," she muttered.

"What's got your panties in a knot?"

"I'm bored out of my damn mind."

"Then it's a good thing I have job for you."

"Finally!" she said exasperatedly. "I've only been sitting here doing nothing for about an hour."

Ignoring her statement, he went on. "I need you to take this paperwork to Maryse and ask her for the Owens case."

Clary gladly took the stack of papers and fled the room. It was just her luck. The one day she needed to get her mind off of things, Jace had literally no work for her. She rode the elevator to the top floor, praying that she didn't run into Simon.

Maryse's office was the last room on the top floor. It was also the nicest room in the building. The entire back wall was a window that had an incredible view of the city and the entire right wall was a book case. A large mahogany desk was placed in the center of the room and Maryse sat behind it, staring intently at the computer screen with her lips pursed.

Clary cleared her throat to announce her presence. Maryse looked up and smiled. "Hello, Clarissa. What can I help you with?"

Clary handed her the stack of papers. "Jace wanted me to give you these."

She took the papers and thumbed through them, her smile widening. "Tell Jace he did an excellent job. Anything else?"

"Yes, actually. He would like the Owens case."

Maryse's smile faltered and she sighed. "I'd hoped he wouldn't ask for that." She rifled through one of her drawers and passed a thick manila folder to Clary. "Can you do me a favor?" Clary nodded. "Don't let Jace do anything stupid with this case."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not my place to give details, just don't let him get emotionally involved. Can you do that?"

"I'll try my best," she said, giving a reassuring smile. She was about to leave when Izzy walked in.

"Hey, Mom, the band cancelled for Saturday and-" She stopped abruptly upon seeing Clary.

"Oh!" Maryse gasped. "That reminds me; Clarissa, dear, will you be attending Max's party?"

Clary glanced at Izzy. Her face was impassive, but Clary knew she was freaking out on the inside. There would be hell to pay for not inviting her. Shaking her head sadly, Clary replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm busy that day." At Maryse's disappointed face, she quickly added, "But, I might be able to stop by for a minute or two. I really need to get back to Jace. It was nice to see you."

"Don't be afraid to come see me if you need anything."

"I won't. Goodbye, Maryse." She nodded at Izzy. "Isabelle."

She rushed out of the room and immediately ran into someone. "Sorry," she squeaked, and looked up to see Simon. _This day just keeps getting better and better._

Simon brushed past her without saying a word.

With a frown, she went back to Jace. The second she entered his office he held his hand out expectantly for the folder, which she gave to him. Before she could pulle her hand away, he grabbed her arm and pushed up her sleeve, revealing finger shaped bruises on her wrist.

"What's this?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

She racked her brain for an excuse. "It's, um- It's…"

A smirk played at the corner of his lips. "I'd say Verlac is one lucky guy."

"What?" Clary gasped, appalled.

"I know sex bruises when I see them, Clary, and these are some pretty nice ones."

The heat rose in her cheeks and she yanked her arm away. She was relieved by his assumption, but utterly embarrassed, too.

"I'm going a coffee run. Want anything?" she asked, wanting to get away and still blushing furiously. Her boss probably thought she was some kind of kinky sex freak now.

"Nah, I'm good," he replied with the infuriating smirk glued to his face.

* * *

Jace sent Clary home early, claiming there was nothing for her to do. Any other day she would have been ecstatic, but today she had been looking forward to the distraction of work. Her whole day was turning into a complete pile of shit.

She walked in the front door to find her mother on the phone with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Yes, I will be there… Thanks again… Have a nice day." She put the phone down and stared at her daughter, still grinning.

"What was that?" Clary asked, feeling like her mother wasn't going to speak unless she initiated the conversation.

"I got the job!" Jocelyn exclaimed excitedly.

Clary was confused for a moment before she remembered. A few months ago her mother had applied for a job teaching art at a prestigious school in California. "Really? That's terrific! When do you start?"

"In a week, but I have to leave Sunday morning. I need to start packing!"

Clary laughed as her mother ran upstairs. At least somebody was having a good day.

* * *

Sunday came quickly, the days leading up to it being uneventful for Clary. The only slow day had been Saturday; when she sat around the house for hours, sulking.

Sunday morning had been full of tears as she said goodbye to mother. It would be ten months until she returned. That is, if she didn't decide to stay in California after the school year.

Now, Sunday afternoon, she was standing outside Sebastian's door. She figured it was time to go back since Jocelyn was no longer living in her house. Unsure as to whether or not she would be welcomed back, Clary knocked.

After a few seconds, Sebastian answered the door. Dark circles surrounded his dull eyes and his hair was a greasy mess on his head. He stared at her with wide eyes before enveloping her in a back-breaking hug.

"You came back," he whispered in her ear. "I thought I lost you. I am so sorry. I am so fucking sorry." She lightly hugged him back. "I'm still trying to deal with my dad and I've been taking it out on you. I'll stop, though. You're all I have left and I couldn't bear to lose you. Promise you won't leave again. Please, promise."

That's when it dawned on her. Her father fled with her brother before she was born, her best friends hated her, and her mother was now on the other side of the country. Sebastian was the only person she had left, also. A silent tear slid down her cheek and she hugged him tighter.

"I promise," she whispered back.

* * *

Meh. Not really happy with this. Had lots of ideas that I simply didn't know how to put together.

**Anyway, review. (: Reviews are like hugs without the awkward touching part.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

Things were looking up for once in Clary's life. Sebastian hadn't laid a hand on her in the past three weeks, progress was finally being made on their wedding plans, and she was getting along better with Jace. The only things missing were Simon and Isabelle. Every time she passed one of them in the halls at work, they would blatantly ignore her, not even glancing in her direction. She missed them dearly, but wasn't about to go crawling back to them. If they were going to act that way towards her, they weren't true friends, right?

Now, she was sitting in a chair in the corner of Jace's office spinning in slow circles and flipping through a wedding dress catalog. Jace was sitting at his desk looking over the Owens case. The case was stressing him out and she was dying to know why, but every time she asked he would quickly change the subject. All that she could get out of him was that it was a domestic abuse case involving a wife and child. The whole thing made her feel uneasy.

"I just don't understand," Jace muttered suddenly.

Clary looked up at him. "Don't understand what?"

He exhaled heavily and leaned back in his chair with his hands laced behind his head. "I don't understand how she could stay with the bastard for so long, especially with a child. How could you bring a child into that kind of environment?" The anger was evident in his voice.

Clary froze. "Love," she whispered out loud without meaning to.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Love?" he scoffed.

Nodding, she elaborated. "She probably stayed around because she loved him and hoped he would change."

Jace mulled the thought over for a moment. "That makes sense for when it was just the two of them, but you would think she would love her baby enough to leave before bringing it into an abusive home." His tone was bitter and Clary felt there was more to the whole situation than he was letting on.

She shrugged at him, not liking the subject, and went back to the magazine in her hands. She would need someone to go dress shopping with her. Isabelle had been her first choice when she had gotten engaged, but that was no longer an option. Jocelyn would have also been in the running, but now she was across the country. It was turning out to be more frustrating than she thought.

"So, when's the big day?" Jace asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"April 21," she answered, beaming. It was the day that her and Sebastian had first met.

Jace opened his mouth to reply, when the door flew open and Izzy walking in with Simon trailing behind. Jace groaned and Clary quickly looked down at the catalog again.

"What do you want, Izzy?" Jace asked, exasperated.

Clary could practically hear Izzy rolling her eyes. "Simon, Maia, and I are going to Taki's. Wanna come?"

"Can't."

"But we need a fourth person to go with us."

Clary felt a pang in her chest. That used to be _their _thing. The four of them would go to Taki's together in order to get the two-for-one specials. Her eyes began to sting but she pushed the sensation away.

"I'm busy, Isabelle. Find someone else."

She heard Isabelle huff and the sound of the door slamming a few seconds later. Clary exhaled slowly, willing the pain in her chest to go away.

"Clary?" Jace said softly.

"Hm?" she hummed back, not trusting her voice.

"Look at me."

She shook her head and suddenly Jace was in front of her, hooking his fingers under her chin and lifting her head up. She was forced to stare into his golden eyes.

"They're being shitty friends for a stupid ass reason. Don't let it get to you. You aren't in the wrong."

Clary looked at him skeptically. "How do you know?"

He frowned. "Isabelle likes to rant and I tend to be stuck listening to her."

It was Clary's turn to frown. "She talks about me that much?"

Slowly, he nodded. "But you know what you're going to do?" She shook her head. "You are going to go to Taki's, order me some coconut pancakes to go, and show them, and yourself, that they don't affect you."

"Jace," she whined, dragging his name out.

"Are you complaining, Fray? As your _boss,_ I don't appreciate that and I'm starving. Now go."

"Fine."

He smirked at her. "One day you'll thank me."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the jail-like structure that was Taki's. Immediately her eyes fell on Simon and Isabelle. They were sitting at a booth in the back corner laughing and talking with Maia and Magnus. Clary forced herself to look away. _The don't affect you._

A blonde waitress bounced up to her. The name on her laminated nametag was _Kaelie_. The name sounded familiar and Clary scrunched up her nose. _One of them many exes Jace talks about._

"Welcome to Taki's. What can I get you?" she asked with fake enthusiasm.

"An order of coconut pancakes and fries to go, please." Clary said with an equally fake smile. Kaelie gave her a weird look, but she was prepared for it. Yes, it was weird for someone to order pancakes at two in the afternoon, but that was Jace for you.

"Clary, darling!" a voice called and she turned to see Magnus a few inches away. Before she could react, he had thrown his arms around her and picked her up in a warm embrace.

"Magnus! Put me down!" He did as she asked and she looked down to find herself covered in glitter.

"You haven't returned any of my calls, Clarissa," he said in an accusatory tone.

Clary chewed her bottom lip. "It's just been hectic lately, Mags. I'll make it up to you somehow."

Magnus looked her over with disapproval. "Your fashion sense is still in need of adjustment. Let me take you shopping and we'll call it even."

She was about to ask for an alternative when an idea came to her. "I have something better. How about you go dress shopping with me?"

His cat-like eyes widened. "For your wedding?"

"Yep," she said, popping the _p_.

He clapped his hands together. "Of course I'll go! I would be honored. But," he glanced nervously at Simon and Izzy, "what about Isa-"

"Don't," she cut him off.

He shook his head sadly. "I don't approve of this little tiff you guys have going on and I advise you find a way to sort everything out with her."

"So she's been talking to you, too. Just who hasn't she opened her big mouth to?" Clary sent a glare in Isabelle's direction, suddenly angry. "Besides, I'm not the one with a problem. If you want this 'sorted out', tell Izzy to stop being a drama queen for five minutes." Kaelie came back with Jace's order and Clary gladly took it. "I have to go now. I'll text you the details about shopping later. Bye, Magnus."

She left before he could say anything else, fearing she would snap at him.

* * *

Clary stormed into Jace's office and threw his food on his desk. He looked up from the computer, startled.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked, an amused smile forming on his lips.

"How do you _think_ it went?" she growled.

Shrugging, he leaned back in his chair. "Pretty good considering you aren't on the brink of tears anymore."

Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, but now I'm pissed off. Izzy even talks to Magnus about me! It's like she can talk to everyone about me except me."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Women and their drama," he muttered. "So you're going to talk to me about her, but not her? Kinda hypocritical, wouldn't you say?"

Sighing, she sunk down into a chair. "You're right. I should talk to her. Actually, I would if she would stop being a bitch and acknowledge me for five seconds." She paused for a second and added, "Sorry. She's your sister. I shouldn't say things like that around you."

Jace scoffed. "Please, I have lived with her most of my life. She's a total bitch and I really don't care who calls her one. Rant to me if you want. I'm just trying to save your relationship with her."

Clary cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"That's what friends do."

Friends? Were her and Jace friends? She guessed you could call it that. They did hang out sometimes outside of work. Although, they were always with a group of other people.

Friends with Jace Wayland. The thought brought a small smile to her face.

* * *

The door slammed against the wall and Clary froze. She looked up from her sketchpad and glanced at the clock. _11:30_. Her heart dropped. Sebastian was home late. His loud footsteps echoed in the silent penthouse and she tried to calm down. He said he would stop. He wouldn't start again so easily, right?

The bedroom door flew open and Clary scrambled off the bed. Sebastian stood in the doorway with bloodshot eyes. His tie was lose around his neck and his dress shirt was untucked.

"Hi, honey," Clary said with what she hoped was a calming smile.

"Why the fuck didn't you answer your phone?" he slurred.

He called her? She hadn't noticed. "I- I'm sorry. I was distracted."

"I-I'm sorry?" he mocked her. "I had to ride a fucking cab home from the bar. You know how much I hate public transportation. I've had a shit day at work and my fiancee can't even be bothered to answer her goddamned phone." He picked her sketchpad off the bed and held it up. "Is this what had you so busy?" She didn't say anything and he smacked her. "Fucking answer me, Clarissa!"

"Yes," she said as tears pricked her eyes. _He said he would stop. He was doing so well._

Wrinkling his nose, he examined her sketch of Central Park and ripped it out. "This is a piece of shit, Clarissa." He tore the paper into tiny shreds. "I've told you before to give up on your silly little dream. You are _never_ going to be an artist. You aren't good enough" He tore the rest of her sketches out and ripped them into pieces.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this, Sebastian?" she choked out.

"Because you need to know your place. You are _worthless_. Without me, you would be some starving artist living on the streets. You _need_ me, Clarissa."

She looked into his eyes as he said this, and she believed him.

* * *

Would have updated earlier, but I had a lot of homework and homecoming to deal with. And some writer's block. I know _where_ I want the story to go, but not _how_ to get it there without rushing things. Meh.

**Reviews: It's what all the cool cats are writing.**


	5. Chapter 5

So, I read The Fault in Our Stars. It kind of destroyed my life, which is why I didn't update earlier. And why this isn't my best chapter.

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare. Obviously.**

* * *

Clary felt out of place, surrounded by white in the pristine bridal shop. White walls, white carpet, white furniture, white flowers. While Magnus zipped around the store with a consultant, Clary stood perfectly still, afraid she would degrade anything she touched.

Magnus came by and dragged her into a dressing room. Her eyes immediately landed on the rack in the corner that held _at least_ a dozen dresses and she groaned. "There's no way I'm trying all those on."

"We had a deal, Clarissa. Hurry up and change."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm not changing with you in here!"

"And why not? You're going to need help getting into those dresses."

"Because you're a _guy_," she lied. She could care less about Magnus's gender. The real reason was all the bruises that covered her abdomen and back that she couldn't let him see. "Besides, there's people whose job it is to help me. Go find one and send them in."

Much to her surprise, Magnus actually did what she said. With a huff, he turned on his heel and stalked out. Once he left, Clary stripped down to just her bra and panties, grimacing at her reflection in the tall mirror on the wall.

Several bruises decorated her stomach and hips. Sebastian had been getting worse lately, but he was at least careful enough not to leave marks on her arms where it would be harder to hide.

A gasp came from behind her and she turned to see Magnus standing there with his mouth open. Clary squealed and tried to cover herself with her hands. "What the hell, Magnus!?" she yelled.

He looked at her with an expression that was a mix between shock and sadness. "What happened to you, Clary?"

"I- I fell down the stairs at the apartment," she stammered.

"Bullshit! Sebastian did this, didn't he?"

Clary's eyes grew wide. He couldn't know. "No, Magnus. I told you I-"

His cat-like eyes hardened. "Don't you dare say you fell down the stairs or ran into a door or any of those lameass excuses. Woman come through my hospital everyday because their boyfriends beat the shit out of them. I know every excuse in the book."

She sank down into the chair that sat in the corner of the room. "You can't tell anybody, Mags. I'm handling it. He's just going through a rough time right now and it's stressing him out. He doesn't mean to do it."

Magnus crouched down to eye-level with her. "You can't stay with him, honey."

"I can't leave him either! He just lost his dad. Without me he'll be all alone." _And without him I'll be nothing._ "I'm helping him, I swear. He'll get better. Just give me some time."

"You have to get out of there, Clarissa. He'll only get worse. Get out before it's too late."

"He'll get better, Magnus. You have to let me help him," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "He won't get better without help. I've helped him stop before, I can do it again.

He sighed heavily. "Three weeks, Clary. I'll give you three weeks. If he's still hurting you, I will tell someone. That's a promise."

Grinning, she looked up at him. "Really?"

"Of course. It's your life and I'm not going to make decisions for you without giving you a chance to make the right ones first."

Wanting a change of subject, she looked at the dresses still hanging in the corner. "I guess we should get this over with, huh?"

Three hours later, Clary and Magnus called it quits. They couldn't seem to decide on anything and were only getting more and more frustrated with each other. Unfortunately for Clary, Magnus insisted they try again on another day. She reluctantly agreed.

* * *

They entered her apartment together to find Sebastian pacing the room and yelling into his cell phone. At the sight of them, he quickly ended the conversation and put the phone away.

"Hello, Clary, Magnus. Did you have fun?" he asked sweetly. A little _too_ sweetly.

Clary opened her mouth to respond, but Magnus stepped in front of her and glared at Sebastian. "You better watch yourself, Verlac or your little secret is going to get out," Magnus said calmly.

"Magnus!" Clary gasped.

He looked at her and shrugged. "I'm just warning him, darling." Turning on his heel, he walked to the door. "I'll see you soon, Clary."

He walked out and Clary was stuck with Sebastian, who was gaping at her. She saw the anger that was slowly building in his eyes, waiting to boil over.

"You _told_ him?" he hissed.

She instinctively took a step back. "He saw the bruises, Seb. I-I tried to lie but he wouldn't believe me."

"You could have done a better job at hiding them!"

"Or you could stop making them, Sebastian!"

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "God, this is so fucked up. _I'm_ so fucked up."

Cautiously, she approached him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. He's not going to tell anyone."

He shrugged her hand off and started toward his study. "Damn right he's not going to tell anyone and I'm going to make sure of that."

"What do mean?" she asked, chewing on her lip.

"Don't worry 'bout it, babe."

Sebastian disappeared into his study, leaving her with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

The stale stench of tobacco pulled her from sleep. She sat up in the bed and looked around the room. Her eyes fell on Sebastian, who was sitting in a chair about a foot away from her. A lit cigarette dangled from his mouth and he held a glass of some dark alcohol in his hand.

"Sebastian? When did you start smoking?" she mumbled, still half asleep.

He absentmindedly swirled the alcohol in the glass. "About a week ago," he murmured. "Nasty habit, really. Then again, I'm full of bad habits."

"What are you doing up at," she glanced at the clock, "two in the morning."

"Just thinking. I'm very upset, you know. I told you not to let anybody find out. Secrets are meant to stay secrets, Clarissa."

"I couldn't help it, Seb. He saw the bruises. I already told you. And he's not going to tell anyone as long as you stop."

He laughed and set his glass down on the night stand. "Magnus Bane is _never_ going to tell anyone. I made sure of it."

Her heart beat picked up. "What did you do, Sebastian?"

A grin slowly spread across his face. "That's my own little secret. Now, back to the matter at hand. You disobeyed me, Clarissa, and that makes me very unhappy."

She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "What are you going to do?"

Smirking, he stood up. "Oh, I'm just going to have some fun with my fiancée and maybe teach her a little lesson."

* * *

The warm water cascaded down her body as she stood in the shower, examining the three cigarette burns on her stomach. She gently poked one and winced. They still hurt like hell, even after a few days. But that was the point. They were supposed to hurt.

_You feel that pain, Clarissa? That's what it's like when you disobey me. Doesn't feel to good, huh?_

She shuddered at the memory. That night had been the worse so far. Pushing the thoughts away, she turned the shower off and got out. She checked the bedroom for signs of Sebastian before quickly getting ready.

Once she looked halfway decent, she left for work. She knew she looked shit. Sleep didn't come easily, and when it did it was filled with nightmares. Plus, she was worried about Magnus. She hadn't seen him in a few days and he wasn't answering her calls. She was terrified about what Sebastian could have possibly done to him.

The whole Magnus situation did teach her one thing, though. She was going to have to go to hell and back to make sure nobody else found out. She couldn't risk their safety, even if it meant sacrificing her own.

She walked into Jace's office and wasn't surprised to find him bent over the Owens case. It had been the same picture all week. He was feverishly going through documents and pictures, taking notes and trying to make a solid enough argument for court.

There were large, dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he lost weight over the past week. _Don't let him do anything stupid with this case._

"Jace?" she called quietly.

"What?" He didn't look up at her.

"When's the last time you got a good night's sleep? Or a decent meal?"

He shrugged and she sighed before gathering up all her courage. She marched over to his desk and ripped the file out from under him. His head snapped up and he looked at her with wide eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

She tucked the folder behind her back. "You're tearing yourself apart over this case. Go home and get some sleep. I don't care that it's early morning, you need it. Then, eat. Actual food."

He stood up and pushed his chair back. "Give me the file, Fray."

She shook her head. "No. I promised Maryse I wouldn't let you do anything stupid with this. Getting all worked up and neglecting your health is pretty stupid to me, and I don't break promises, Jace."

He took a step towards her, but she stepped back. "Clary, give me the file. I'm your boss. Do as I say."

She held her ground. "No, Jace. Not until you do as _I_ say."

He slammed his hand down on the desk. "Goddammit, Clarissa! Give me the fucking file!"

Startled, she dropped the folder. He reminded her so much of Sebastian in that moment. He always called her Clarissa when he was angry, too. She dropped to her knees and started to pick up the scattered papers with shaky hands. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." she stammered. He came over to help her and she flinched away.

The familiar sting in her eyes returned. She was such a mess. Everything made her jumpy and reminded her of Sebastian in some way. He invaded her every thought and caused her to live her life in fear that everybody was going to react like he did.

"It's fine," Jace said, his voice calmer. They collected all the papers and stood up. "The question here is, are _you_ fine? You've been really moody lately."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have some things going on at the moment."

"That time of the month?" Jace guessed with his infuriating smirk.

She gaped at him. "No! It is not that-" She stopped abruptly as realization dawned on her. She was late. Over two weeks late.

"Shit," she groaned.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare. But you already knew that.**

* * *

Clary sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the pink plus sign. Reality was hitting her like a ton of bricks and panic started to settle in. She was pregnant. There was another human life currently growing inside of her. A human life that she would have to take care of.

She sure as hell wasn't ready for this, but what worried her the most was what other people would think. Jocelyn most definitely wouldn't approve because she wasn't married yet and Luke would be disappointed in her because she was too young to even be thinking about having a baby. Then, there was Sebastian. The idea of having kids was something they had never talked about. She had no clue as to whether he wanted any or not. But a small part of her hoped that maybe having a baby around would help him change. He wouldn't hurt his own flesh and blood, right?

With a sigh, she got up and buried the stick at the bottom of the trashcan. She needed some time and advice before she could tell Sebastian. She needed Magnus, but he still wasn't picking up his phone, so she decided to call the hospital.

A woman picked up on the third ring. "Memorial Hospital," she said in a monotone voice.

"Hi, is Magn- I mean Dr. Bane there?" Clary asked nervously.

The woman paused for a moment. "He's not available at the moment. Are you one of his patients?"

"No. Just a friend."

Silence came from the other end for a few seconds. "Nobody told you?"

Clary tensed. "Told me what?"

"Dr. Bane was in a terrible accident and has been out cold since."

She almost dropped the phone. _Sebastian wouldn't._ "Oh my God, is he going to be okay?"

"It looks like that way. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to do some more tests to make sure."

Clary let out a small breath of relief. "Can I visit him?"

* * *

Magnus was laying in a sterile, white bed. He was connected to multiple machines that beeped and whirred. A bandage was wrapped around his head, his left arm was in a cast, and his pale face was covered in bruises and scratches. Clary's heart shattered at the sight of him. This was all her fault.

Sitting down in a chair, she gently grabbed his hand. The heart monitor beeped steadily in the background as she spoke.

"God, Magnus, I am so sorry. If it weren't for me you wouldn't be here right now. Bet you wish you had stayed away from me like Simon and Izzy, huh?" She let out a shaky laugh. "I've gotten myself in even deeper now. I'm going to have his baby, Mags, and I don't know how to tell him. I wish you were awake so you could give me your amazing advice."

"Just tell him. No need to think so hard about it."

Clary snapped her attention to the doorway where Alec was now standing with his arms crossed. "H-How much did you hear?"

"Enough, but Magnus had already told me all about Sebastian before this 'accident' happened."

Clary found herself getting mad at Magnus for telling, but immediately felt bad for doing so. She couldn't blame him for telling Alec. "You know you can't tell anyone, right?"

He laughed humorlessly. "Obviously. Especially after what he's done to Magnus. I think it's best if you stay away from us, Clary."

Her heart dropped, knowing he was right. "Yeah. Probably." She stood up to leave. "Bye, Magnus," she whispered. "Alec."

He looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Clary. I just can't risk him getting hurt again."

She nodded and smiled sadly. "I understand." And she did. It was best to not have Magnus involved in her life anymore. It would keep him safe.

* * *

Sebastian was waiting for her when she got home. He stood in the entryway with his hands clasped behind his back. "Nice of you to show up, Clarissa," he said.

"Sorry. I was visiting Magnus in the hospital," she said as calmly as she could.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before becoming impassive. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Huh?" Then it dawned on her and her eyes grew wide. How could he know?

From behind his back, he produced the pregnancy test. Had he been digging through the garbage? "When were you going to tell me, Clarissa?"

"Soon, I swear. I just didn't know how."

"Whose kid is it?"

She gawked at him. "Whose kid? Your kid! Who else would've knocked me up?"

He glared at her. "It is not my child, Clarissa! I have always used some form of protection with you."

"Well guess what! Condoms can _break_. It's your baby, Sebastian. _Our_ baby!"

She watched as Sebastian began pacing the room. "This can't be happening. Can't fucking be happening. We can't have a kid! I don't _want_ a kid. How could you do this to me?"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "How could I do this to _you_? How could _you _do this to _me_? I sure as hell didn't get myself pregnant!"

Suddenly, Sebastian was in front of her, his hand connecting with her cheek. "Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that, Clarissa!" She broke down into tears and he looked at her in disgust. "I need some time to think. Don't wait up."

He stalked out of the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Clary was curled into a ball on the couch, sobbing. He walked out on her. Just left. Four hours and he still wasn't back. She needed someone to talk to, but there was nobody. Izzy and Simon hated her. Alec wanted to stay away from her. Magnus was basically in a coma. She wouldn't be able to talk to her mother or Luke without telling them about the pregnancy. Never in her life had she been so alone.

The door slammed open and Clary sat up. Sebastian stumbled in, a half empty beer bottle in his hand. His glassy eyes fell on her and he sneered.

"Why the fuck do I even keep you around anymore?" he grumbled. "Useless whore." The bottle slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. "Clean that up," he slurred before disappearing into the bedroom.

Clary quickly did as he said, afraid to disobey him. She was afraid he would leave for good, and it would destroy her if he did. She had child to worry about now and she knew she wouldn't be able to take care of it herself.

She went into the bedroom to find Sebastian already fast asleep. After getting changed into pajamas, she crawled into bed next to him. He instinctively moved closer to her, draping an arm over her and pulling her close. She smiled slightly as his hand came to rest on her stomach.

Maybe everything wasn't going to turn out as bad as it seemed.

* * *

Kinda short, but the next chapter will be longer and better. Promise. By the way, I would never kill off Magnus. I'm not Satan.

**Review. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare. Blah, blah, blah .**

* * *

Grinning, she stared at the sonogram in her hands. You could barely make out the baby, but it was there. Just a little spot. But a little spot was the was slowly growing inside her.

The front door opened and she quickly shoved the picture between the couch cushions. Sebastian still wasn't too happy about the pregnancy. However, she had a feeling he would come around eventually.

She stood up and greeted him in the entryway. "Hey, honey. How was work?"

Running a hand through his hair, he grimaced. "Stressful," he said curtly.

Clary frowned. All she had been getting out of him lately was one or two word answers. They were slowly drifting apart and it terrified her. Even he had said himself that she was nothing without him.

"I'll be in my study. Don't bother me."

He briskly walked away and Clary let out a sigh once he was out of hearing distance. They hadn't been seeing much of each other, either. He always seemed to be at work, in his study, or sleeping. There was a bad feeling in her gut that told her he was hiding something, but she ignored. _He just needs some space_, she told herself.

A shrill ringing cut through the silence of the penthouse and Clary hunted down her phone, picking it up right before it cut off.

"Hello?" she breathed into the phone.

"Clary, it's Jace. I know it's your day off, but could you come in for just an hour or two? I really need your help."

Sighing, Clary glanced at the closed doors of Sebastian's study. He wouldn't mind, right? He was probably too wrapped up in his own job to care. "I guess that'll be fine. Just let me get changed first."

"Thank you so much. See you soon," he said and hung up.

Clary quickly got dressed and threw her hair into a bun. She stood outside Sebastian's study, debating on whether or not to inform him she was going to work. He had said not to bother him, so she settled on sending him a quick text before exiting the apartment.

His reply was a simple "whatever."

* * *

"What is so important that you needed me in today for?" she asked upon entering Jace's office. He looked up at her and she took in his disheveled appearance with disapproval. He still looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a while.

"I'm putting the final touches on this case and I have a date in less than three hours. There's no way I'll be done in time without your help," he replied.

She was tempted to tell him just to reschedule his date, but didn't. He had spent more than three-quarters of his life in this office since he had first started the case. A date would be a good chance for him to get his mind off of it for a little while.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked with a small sigh. She felt nauseous and not at all like working, but she was going to put up with it for a friend.

He handed her a stack of photos. "I need you to go make 3 copies of each of these."

She nodded and left to the copy room. The photos made the nauseous feeling in her stomach grow. They were of all the damage done to Owens' son and wife. Bruises covered a beautiful woman's face and a small child's body. There were scars and cuts and burns on the child's arms and chest.

Clary's hand flew to her stomach. What if Sebastian ends up like that? What if he hurts their child? She remembered what Jace had said. _I don't understand how somebody could bring a child into that type of environment_. Clary suddenly didn't understand it either. Why would she want to possibly bring harm to her child? Then she remembered Magnus.

The door to the copy room clicked shut and Clary's head snapped up. As if on cue, there stood a grinning Magnus, leaning against the closed door with his arm still in a cast.

"_Magnus_," Clary hissed. "You're supposed to be avoiding me."

He waved his free hand dismissively in the air. "I know the whole thing is Alec's idea, and frankly I don't like it. You're my friend. I'm not going to leave you like everyone else. Now, want to tell me about your little bun in the oven?"

She chewed her bottom lip. "Not much to tell. It's there. Don't know the gender yet. Oh yeah, and Sebastian isn't too happy about it," she said bitterly.

Magnus frowned slightly. "Don't be upset, Clary. You're going to be a mom! Sebastian will come around eventually,"

Tears started to build in her eyes. "But what if he doesn't?" she cried. "What if he ends up doing this?" She thrust a picture of the little boy at him. "I mean, look at what he did to you! What makes you think he won't do worse to our baby?"

Magnus's eyes darkened as he examined the photograph. "Clarissa, if you really think he's going to do something like this, then you need to get out before it's too late."

"It's not that simple, Magnus! What do you think he's going to do if I try to leave again?"

He looked at her sympathetically. "I don't know, but it's a risk you might just have to take. For the sake of your child." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go before Alec realizes I'm not really going to the bathroom. If you need anything, don't you ever hesitate to call me. Alec will just have to deal with it."

She quickly threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered before releasing him.

"No problem," he said and left.

Clary followed suit a few seconds later and returned to Jace's office. He was leaning over his desk, scribbling notes down on a piece of paper. She gently set the stack of photos down next to him. "

"Now what?"

Jace grabbed a sticky note, wrote something down, and handed it to her. She looked at the address written in his neat handwriting and recognized it as a florist. "Go there and tell them you're picking up Jace Wayland's order."

Clary cocked an eyebrow. "Jace Wayland getting flowers for a girl? What has the world come to?"

He laughed quietly. "I might be player, Clary, but I still know how to treat a girl right."

Clary felt a pang of jealousy. Why couldn't she have someone like Jace? She would take a player of an abusive boyfriend any day. She went downstairs and hailed a cab.

* * *

About halfway back from the florist, her phone started ringing, She fished it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. _Sebastian._ Clary's brow furrowed. He rarely called her. Especially when either one of them was working. She pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Seb-"

She stopped, her heart dropping at the noises coming from the other side. The moans and the pants and the _I love you_'s and the sound of skin on skin. The phone slipped between her fingers and landed on the seat of the cab, ending the call.

The cabbie glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. "You okay back there?"

Clary nodded numbly. Sebastian was _cheating _on her. Out of all the things he had done, she felt this was the worst. He had destroyed all the trust she put into him. And the big question was why. _Why_ was he cheating on her? Was it because she was pregnant? Did he not love her anymore? Was he going to leave her for this other woman?

The cab pulled up outside the building and Clary quickly threw the fare at the cabbie and climbed out, tears stinging the backs of her eyes.

She placed the bouquet of flowers on Jace's desk and he looked at her graciously. "Thank you so much." He looked at her and cocked his head to the side. "Hey, are you okay?"

Clary smiled weakly. "Yeah. I just think I have allergies or something."

"I'm so sorry. You can go home if you want. I'm almost done here."

"Thanks," she said, gathering her things. She stopped at the door. "Have fun on your date."

"Don't worry, I will," he responded with a wink.

A small smile crept onto her face. Same old Jace.

* * *

She entered the apartment to find Sebastian leaning against the kitchen counter drinking a beer. Her eyes focused in on his appearance. His shirt was untucked and wrinkled and the tie around his neck was lose. She zeroed in on the lipstick stain on the collar of his shirt.

Anger bubbled inside her. He didn't even have the decency to try and cover it up and that was the last straw. She had to leave. She couldn't bring a baby into this household. She couldn't bring a baby into a home with an alcoholic, abusive, and cheating father. She would find a way to survive without him.

She stormed into their bedroom, pulled out a suitcase, and started throwing her belongings into it. Zipping the bag closed, she exited and tried to walk past Sebastian, but he grabbed her arm.

"Where the hell are you going?" he demanded.

She tried to yank her arm free to no avail. "I'm leaving, Sebastian."

His eyes hardened and his face showed unmasked fury. "You said you wouldn't leave again, Clarissa. You promised."

"Yeah? Well that was before," she said coldly.

"Before what?" he snarled.

"Before I got pregnant and had a child to worry about!" she yelled. _And before you decided to cheat on me._

His expression quickly turned impassive. "So you're leaving me for some _thing_ that isn't even born yet?"

Clary nodded. "A thing that is our child and I have to worry about protecting from monsters like you!"

He released her arm, but slapped her. Hard enough to knock her to the ground. "You _promised _me, Clarissa. I don't like it when people break there promises."

He brought his foot back and delivered a blow to her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She gasped loudly in pain and tried to get up but he kicked her again.

"You are _never_," _kick. _"Leaving me," _kick._ "Clarissa!"

He kicked her again and her vision started to go blurry around the edges. "You are _mine_" was the last thing she heard before the darkness consumed her.

* * *

Sorry. Rough week with school and just life in general. Couldn't really get into the writing mood. But don't worry. I'll be more into the next chapter.

**Reviews let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

I have a late start tomorrow so I stayed up to write this. (:

**I obviously don't own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the doctor's appointment that turned her world upside-down. Two weeks since that word had entered her mind and never left. _Miscarriage. _

The word had sent her spiraling into numbness. She didn't laugh. She didn't cry. She didn't yell. She continued her life as usual. She would go to work with a fake smile plastered on her face. Nobody had known she was pregnant, and they sure as hell weren't going to know about her miscarriage.

Magnus and Alec knew, though. Magnus had found her wondering around the hospital in a zombie-like state after she got the news. He, of course, told Alec. Whenever she saw one of them, they would give her sympathetic looks. But she didn't want their sympathy or empty _I'm sorry_'s. She wanted her baby back.

The worst of it all was having to sleep next to the monster that killed her child every night. He seemed _happy _that the baby was gone and Clary couldn't look him in the eyes anymore and tried to avoid him as much as she could. She had gone from loving him with all her heart to hating him with every fiber in her body. She wanted to leave, but knew she couldn't. He would probably kill her too if she tried to leave.

The numbness had slowly begun fading over the past twenty-four hours and she started to feel the heart wrenching pain in her chest. That's how she found herself sitting alone at a bar with a half empty bottle of vodka in her hand, drowning her sorrows. Clary looked around at the other people in the club. They were so care free and happy, having the time of their lives and it made her jealous. She took another swig of the clear liquid, welcoming the burn. She was trying to make the pain and sadness go away. Trying to forgot about all her problems. Just for one night.

Her phone buzzed next to her on the counter top and she ignored it. It was just Sebastian again. She had been ignoring his calls all night. Sure, there'd be hell to pay when she got home, but she deserved. She deserved it for not being able to protect her child. Her phone buzzed again, but this time it wasn't Sebastian. It was Jace.

She picked it up. "Hello?" she shouted over the loud music in the club.

"Clary? Where are you? Sebastian called me and said you hadn't come home yet and weren't answering your phone." Worry was evident in his voice.

Clary giggled into the phone. "I'm _hiding_."

She could hear Jace sigh on the other end. "You're obviously in a club somewhere. And drunk. Tell me where you are."

"If I do, are you going to tell Seb?"

There was a pause. "No. I promise I won't."

She giggled again. "I'm at Pandemonium."

"Stay there, Clare. I'm coming to get you."

* * *

He shoved his way through the mesh of dancing bodies toward the bar. Music blared from overhead speakers and lights flashed across the room. His eyes immediately fell on the short red-head sitting by herself at the bar.

He sat down on the stool next to her and she turned to face him, an almost empty bottle of vodka in her hands.

"Shit, Clary. How much have you had to drink?" he asked.

She looked at him with lifeless green eyes. "Not enough."

She went to take another drink, but he yanked the bottle from her hand. "What's bothering you, Clare?" he questioned, knowing something was up. Her eyes had lost the life they used to hold and dark circles surrounded them. She looked like she had lost weight. All her smiles seemed forced or strained.

"I don't wanna talk about it," she slurred.

He looked at her, saw the sadness in her eyes, and didn't push the subject. "Come on, let's get you home."

A look of fear crossed her face, but disappeared as quickly as it came. "Don't take me home!" she exclaimed.

He cocked his head to the side. _Why didn't she want to go home?_ "You can come to my house," he said without a second thought.

* * *

Jace drove her to his small apartment and helped her up the stairs. "I'll take the couch. You can have the bed," he said once they walked inside.

Even in her drunk state Clary could tell how clean his apartment was. The walls were white with only a few pictures here and there. The couches and furniture were all a soft brown. There was a serious lack of color anywhere.

He led her to his bedroom and tucked her in. When he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand.

"Jace?" she said, sitting up.

He turned to her. "Hmm?"

"You're so good. Did you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

She spoke without a filter between her thoughts and her mouth. "You're generous and sweet and kind and sometimes an ass. But you know what? That just makes you even better. I wish Sebastian was more like you."

He stared at her, shocked into silence. Clary got on her knees and took his face between her hands. Before he could say anything, she crushed her lips to his. She wanted to forget. Maybe Jace could help her.

* * *

She was kissing him. Clary was _kissing _him. He wanted to pull away. To stop it. She was engaged for God's sake. But he didn't. In fact, he kissed her back. There was some kind of desperation in the kiss. Like she needed him, and he wanted to be needed by her.

There was something about her that drew him in. Whether it was her hair, her eyes, or her feisty personality, he didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted her whether she was engaged to that ass hole Verlac or not.

Before he knew what was happening, he crawled into the bed with her and their clothes were being thrown across the room.

* * *

She woke up groggily with a pounding headache. Her eyes opened and she noticed the unfamiliar room. Where was she? She turned her head to the side and held back a scream.

There, lying next to her, was Jace. Naked. She looked down and noticed she had the same lack of clothing. The previous night's events came crashing down on her. She had slept with Jace. She felt guilty and dirty. However, a part of her was glad. It was getting even in a way for all the times Sebastian cheated on her.

_Sebastian. _She glanced at the clock and saw it was well past noon. She mentally cursed at herself and slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Jace. She found her clothes in a pile on the floor and quickly pulled them on.

She walked silently out of the apartment, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head. Hailing a cab, she made her way home.

Sebastian was pacing the penthouse angrily. His head snapped up when she entered, fire burning in his black eyes.

"Where the fuck have you been!?" he yelled.

She winced again at the loud noise. "I was out at Pandemonium and drank too much. Sorry."

"Then why the fuck didn't you come home last night?"

"I crashed at a hotel next to the club," she lied smoothly.

He didn't look like he believed her and he struck her. Her head rocked back and she lightly touched her cheek.

"You should have picked up your goddamned phone or called me!"

"I'm sorry! I-"

He slapped her again. "Get out of my sight."

She scurried to their bedroom, glad to not be in his presence anymore. Just looking at him killed her a little inside thinking of their baby. Now that the alcohol had worn off, all the sorrow she tried to suppress came rushing back to her. She collapsed onto the bed, relishing in the memory of last night, wishing she was with someone like Jace. Not Sebastian.

* * *

He sat in a chair in Alec's office with Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Simon. His mind was still on Clary. He had woken up and she was gone. He hoped she hadn't regretted last night.

Something was wrong with her though, and he wanted to know what. Why was she acting so strange lately? What was she out getting drunk? Why did she have sex with him?

Jace looked around at the group of people seated with him. Maybe one of them know.

"Does anybody know what's up with Clary?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Izzy asked in reply.

He rolled his eyes. "Not that you would know, but she's been acting strange these past few weeks. I found her drunk out of her mind at Pandemonium last night."

He noticed Alec and Magnus share a look.

"What was that look?" he directed toward them.

They looked at each other again, appearing to be having a silent conversation. Finally, Magnus sighed.

"I- Actually, _we_ should have told someone earlier, but we know what's wrong with her."

"Are you going to elaborate or..?"

Magnus and Alec glanced at each other before spilling everything they knew.

* * *

**Reviews are lovely.**


	9. Chapter 9

School sucks. And I had writer's block. But I finally wrote it.

**In case you haven't noticed, I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters/references belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

"Well, Clary and Sebastian… They've been having some, um, relationship issues lately," Alec said awkwardly.

Magnus scoffed and threw a glare at his significant other. "If _that_ isn't the understatement of the century. What Alexander means is-"

"Magnus!" Alec yelled, cutting him off. "Don't. Remember what happened _before_ you even told anyone? What do you think will happen when that bastard finds out that you _did_ tell someone?"

"This has been going on long enough, Alexander. We can't keep it a secret anymore. It's for Clary's own good."

Jace spoke up. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

Magnus sighed heavily. "Sebastian has been abusing Clary. I found out and Sebastian had people make sure I wouldn't tell." He paused and looked around at the shocked faces in the room. "Then, Clary got pregnant, and Sebastian wasn't happy at all about it. Next thing you know, Clary has a miscarriage; which is why she has been acting weird lately.

* * *

Jace stared at Magnus in shock, only half paying attention to what he was saying. Images flew through is mind. His mother's lifeless body, blood pooling around her. His father with burning fury in his eyes and a bloodied knife in his hand. Red and blue flashing lights.

How could he have been so stupid? So _blind_? He should have recognized the signs after living with an abusive father for twelve years. The flinching. The apologies. The bruises. The nervousness. That night when she didn't want to go home should have been a big red flag to him.

He found himself getting angry. Sebastian was an asshole, but Jace never expected this. He never expected Sebastian to hit a woman, especially someone like Clary. Sebastian was lucky enough to have someone as beautiful and kind and caring as Clary, but he took advantage of her and hurt her.

Jace thought of his mom again. Sebastian could _kill_ Clary, just like Jace's dad had killed his mom. He suddenly stood up and moved toward the door, causing the room's attention to shift to him. He had to get Clary out of there.

"Where are you going?" Alec asked.

"To get her the hell out of there," he replied while reaching for the doorknob.

"Jace, you have court in less than an hour to see if you won the case or not."

Without hesitating, Jace opened the door. "Clary's more important. Figure something out."

* * *

Silence weighed heavily down on the remaining four until Izzy decided to break it.

"How could you not tell anybody?" she demanded of Alec and Magnus.

Shrugging, Magnus replied, "It wasn't my secret to tell."

Simon spoke next. "Isabelle, don't yell at them."

"Why not? If Clary got seriously hurt, it would've been all their fault!"

"And it wouldn't be our fault, too? We _abandoned _her, Izzy, and she needed us. If we had stayed friends with her, then maybe we would have found out sooner."

She buried her face in her hands. "We have been shitty friends, haven't we?"

"No shit." Guilt was slowly eating away at Simon. He had thrown Clary away like she was nothing. How could he have done that to his best friend? He thought back to the confrontation in the hall. _Si, I need you more than you think. _Why didn't he listen to her? Oh, yeah. Because he was jealous. He was jealous that he wasn't the one she went to for everything anymore. "We have to make it up to her somehow. Help her out in some way."

Izzy sat up straight in her chair. "We could go to the police and report him. Get that asshole behind bars."

Magnus, Alec, and Simon glanced at each other before nodding in agreement.

* * *

Laying on her back, she stared at the ceiling. Now that she was sober, she was terrified again. What if Sebastian found out what she had done? What would he do to her? What would he do to Jace?

She wasn't sure she could live with herself is something happened to Jace because of her. There was only one thing to do. She had to distance herself from Jace, which meant quitting her job. That would make Sebastian pretty happy.

Clary glanced at the clock and, with a sigh, got up. Sebastian would be home soon and expect lunch to be made. A bitter laugh escaped her mouth. Everything she did revolved around him and what he wanted. She found herself missing that carefree feeling she had when drunk.

There was knock on the door and she rushed to answer it. She opened the door to find a very tense and angry Jace in the hall. "Jace? What are you doing here?"

"Where the fuck is he?" he demanded, pushing past her into the apartment.

"What?" she asked without closing the door.

"Where is that bastard Verlac?"

Why did he want to know where Sebastian was? "Listen, Jace, Sebastian isn't here, but he will be back any minute. You really need to leave."

Jace visibly relaxed a little. "Pack your stuff. We're leaving."

She cocked her head to the side. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sighing, Jace pinched the bridge of his nose. "Magnus told us all about Verlac." He began to pace the room. "Now go pack your things, I'm getting you out of here."

Clary was suddenly mad at Magnus. He promised he wouldn't tell. Looking at Jace, she thought of how badly she wanted to leave with him. But she knew she couldn't.

"I'm not going with you, Jace."

Freezing in his tracks, he stared at her with wide eyes. "Clarissa, he will hurt you even more if you stay here. He might possibly kill you. You need to get out."

She shook her head at him. "I _can't_ get out. If I leave, he will hunt me down. Then, he will not only hurt me, but he'll also hurt you." The next sentence that tumbled out of her mouth hurt to say. "You need to leave and just forget about me."

He grabbed her shoulders, his golden eyes burning into her green ones. "I am _not _going to leave you here with that bastard. I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if I have to."

Placing her hands on his chest, she gently pushed him back, tears stinging her eyes. "I can't, Jace. I'm sorry."

He grabbed her again. "Yes, you can, Clare. I can protect myself, and you, from him. Just come with me and everything will alright."

A sob escaped her throat. "Jace, just go. If anything happens to you because of me, I don't think I could handle it."

Sighing, he pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Clare. Nothing will happen to you either if you just come with me."

"But-"

He pulled away from her. "No buts." He gently grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go get your things."

She let him pull her down the hall to her room. From under her bed, she pulled at a suitcase and Jace helped her put her things in it.

"You know, I'm glad Verlac isn't here, but I'm also a little disappointed," he said.

Clary glanced at him. "Why?"

He flashed a grin in her direction. "Because I was looking forward to beating the living shit out of him."

Clary laughed lightly at that and zipped the suitcase closed. "I think I'm ready."

Jace smiled at her again and took the suitcase from her hand. "Good. Let's go."

She followed him back through the apartment and stopped at the door. She looked at the penthouse, thinking of all the memories that had taken place there with Sebastian. His proposal. The first time they made love. Late nights watching movies. The first time he hit her. Late nights crying. The day she found out she was pregnant. The day he took her baby away. She slid the engagement ring off her finger and placed it on the table next to the door. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she whispered a single word and followed Jace out the door.

_Goodbye._

* * *

Over 100 reviews. I never expected that and it's amazing. I don't know how long this story is going to go on for. To be honest, I have no idea where to go from here. Suggestions would be nice.

**Review. (:**


	10. Chapter 10

Never take AP classes. They take over your life and destroy your happiness.

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All characters and references belong to Cassandra Clare.**

* * *

She stared out the window as the city grew smaller and smaller behind them and the busy streets turned into rural highways. Her level of fear was steadily rising. Sebastian would be home soon. He would realize she was missing. He would come after her and most likely find her.

"Jace, where are we going?" she finally decided to ask.

He took his eyes of the road for a second to look at her. "Luke has a farm house a few hours outside of the city. I asked if we could borrow it for a little while."

Clary froze. "You didn't tell him about my situation did you?"

He glanced at her again. "Of course I did. But don't worry. He's not going to tell anyone."

"Not even my mom? I don't want her getting involved in this at all."

"He's not even going to tell your mom, Clary."

She relaxed a little bit, but worst case scenarios kept racing through her mind. "Are you sure that we'll be safe there?"

A sigh came from him. "Would I take you somewhere that I wasn't positive is safe?"

Shrugging, she stared at the road in front of them. "I guess not."

"Exactly. Everything will be okay, Clare. I promise."

She nodded, wanting to believe him, but knowing somewhere deep down she couldn't. Not yet.

* * *

Something was off. He noticed it the second he walked through the door. Something, or _someone_, was missing.

"Clarissa!" he called.

No response.

"Clarissa! You better get your ass out here right now!"

Still no response.

Sebastian stomped off to the bedroom, muttering curses under his breath. He shoved the door open and stopped in his tracks. Clothes were strewn across the room and draws had been emptied.

_No. _He stared wide eyed at the room. _She did not leave me. She promised she wouldn't! _He moved back into the living room and something shiny caught his eye. Walking towards it, he quickly identified it as Clarissa's engagement ring. He picked the ring up and held it gently in his hand.

She really had left him.

Anger quickly filled his veins. Clarissa wouldn't decide to leave him by herself. Somebody else had to have helped her. Slipping the ring into his pocket, he stormed out of the apartment and down to the lobby.

"Have you seen my fiancée lately?" he asked the man behind the front desk as calmly as he could

"Yes, sir. She left about an hour ago with a blonde man."

"_Wayland_," Sebastian hissed.

"Sir?"

Sebastian looked up at the man. "Nothing. Thank you for the information."

Turning on his heel, he pulled his phone out and dialed a number he hadn't needed in a while. Clarissa may have left him, but he was sure as hell going to find her and get her back.

"Verlac. Haven't heard from you in a while," the voice on the other line said.

"Pangborn. I need your help tracking my down my dear Clarissa and maybe take care of a few people along the way. You up for it?" He was determined to get Clarissa back and make all her little friends pay for taking her away from him.

A low chuckle came from Pangborn. "Is blood red?"

* * *

The farmhouse was small, secluded, and didn't stand out. It was perfect, Clary realized. Jace led her up the porch steps and, after some difficulty, unlocked the door.

The inside of the house was pleasant. The living room's furniture consisted of a chair, couch, coffee table, and fire place. The kitchen was small, but practical. The two bedrooms upstairs had country themes and had a cozy feeling to them.

After setting her things down in one of the rooms, she plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Fear started to crawl it's way into her mind again. Sebastian had most likely already discovered she was gone. After all, it had been hours since she left. Now it was only a matter of time before he would find her location and come after her.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she ignored it, knowing it was Sebastian. The buzzing stopped and she pulled her phone out to turn it off. Sebastian was going to be calling a lot more than just once. She was sure of it.

Dropping her phone on the floor, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Cold, black eyes stared at her and a smile revealed razor sharp teeth. The monster took a step towards her, but she took one back. It moved closer to her and she dodged it, running down the hall. She tried door after door, trying to get one to open, but none of them would budge. She looked behind her at the monster as it drew near._

_Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a staircase and rushed over to it. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, but she couldn't see the bottom. All she could see was darkness. Her legs were quickly growing tired and she could hear the monster closing in on her. Her heart began beating faster and faster in her chest._

"_You can't escape me, Clarissa," it said in a voice that was eerily similar to Sebastian's._

_Then, the monster pounced on her, its claws digging into her flesh._

* * *

Clary woke up in a cold sweat, a scream escaping her mouth. With a frantic expression on his face, Jace burst into the room and flicked the lights on.

"What's wrong?" he asked, scanning the room for anything out of place.

Tears forming in her eyes she responded, "Just a bad d-dream."

Jace came over and sat on the bed next to her, pulling her into a hug. "Was it about Sebastian?" She nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and buried her face in his shirt.

"I'm so scared, Jace," she sobbed.

Soothingly, he stroked her hair. "I know you are, Clare. But like I said, it's all going to be alright." He sat with her, gently rubbing her back, until she ran out of tears to cry.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

He hesitated before answering. "Have you forgotten what happened last time?"

She snorted. "I was drunk. Now I am completely sober. Please?"

With a sigh, he agreed and got up to turn off the light. Clary scooted over and laid on her side. Jace climbed in next to her and draped an arm over her, pulling her close to him.

"Thanks, Jace. For everything," she yawned.

He said something in a low whisper, but she was already fast asleep.

* * *

Sebastian stared at the map Pangborn had sent to him. By tracking Clarissa's phone he had been able to pinpoint her exact location. It was clever place, he had to admit. Out in the middle of nowhere. He would never have guessed to look there.

"How are you going to get her back?" Pangborn's voice came through the phone.

"I changed my mind," Sebastian said calmly. "I want _her _to come to _me_."

Pangborn scoffed. "And how, pray tell, do you plan on accomplishing that?"

Sebastian smirked and looked at the picture of Jocelyn that Clarissa had left behind. "Don't worry. I have the perfect idea," he said before hanging up.

* * *

Sorry that this chapter was kind of short, but I wanted to get it up tonight. Anyway, thank you for all the wonderful reviews and amazing suggestions. You guys are the best. (:

**Review. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

She watched as the car pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the deserted street. With a heavy sigh, she let the curtain fall from her fingertips and close. Leaning against the counter, she huffed and closed her eyes. Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Jace had brought her out here. Two weeks since she had seen Sebastian. Two weeks since she had seen anyone except Jace, actually. Everyday he went to work, leaving her alone in the farmhouse.

The boredom and isolation were slowly beginning to eat away at her. She yearned for some sort of human contact. Even when Jace was around he wasn't much company. He would just lock himself in his room and work on cases until he passed out. He rarely talked to her for more than five or ten minutes at a time. She wanted desperately to call her mom, just to have someone to talk to, but Jace forbid it. He had said phone calls would be too easy to track.

Clary walked into the living room and turned on the television before collapsing onto the couch, like she did everyday. She flipped through the channels and, finding nothing better to watch, settled on a celebrity gossip new show. She crinkled her nose as the hosts began discuss Sebastian and his "fresh-on-the-market" nights out. She was surprised to see that he was showing off the fact that their relationship was over. Maybe it was safe for her to go back to the city now considering he was obviously over her.

The shrill sound of a phone ringing cut through the farmhouse and Clary froze. In the past two weeks the house phone hadn't rang once and she didn't know whether or not she should answer it.

The answering machine picked up and a familiar voice came through the speaker. "Clary, it's me. Call me back please, honey," her mother's voice said. She jumped off the couch and ran to the phone, picking it up.

"Mom?" she breathed.

"Clary, I need you to listen to me," her mother said, worry evident in her voice, making Clary nervous. "Whatever happens, promise me you will never go back to Sebastian."

"Mom, what are you tal-" She was cut off as her mother's scream pierced her eardrum. "Mom! What's going on?"

There was a shuffling on the other line. "Hello, Clarissa."

Her blood ran cold at the sound of his voice. "Sebastian."

"I've missed you. Haven't you missed me?"

"Not the tiniest bit."

A humorless laugh came from him. "Pity. I think you should come home, Clarissa."

"Why in the hell would I do that?"

"Hmm…" He paused for a moment. "Because if you don't, I can't guarantee your mother will remain unharmed."

Clary gasped. "Let my mom go."

"Don't worry, Clarissa. I will let her go as long as you come back to me."

Clary replied without hesitation. "Alright. I will. Just- Just let her go."

"Excellent. A car will be outside the farmhouse in half an hour. Don't tell anyone this conversation happened. I will find out if you do, Clarissa."

The line went dead and Clary dropped the phone. What did she just do? Agreeing to go back to Sebastian was like selling her soul to the devil. But could she really have let him hurt her mom? No. She couldn't have. She was doing the right thing, even it was bad for herself.

With shaky legs, she made her way upstairs and packed her things. She tore a piece of paper out of her sketch book and scribbled a quick note Jace on it. She had just signed her signature when a horn sounded from outside. She exited the farmhouse and slid into the back seat of the sleek black car parked in the front of the house.

Sebastian was already sitting back there, a grin on his face. After she buckled up, he slipped an arm around her.

"I'm glad you came back," he said before sliding an engagement ring back on her finger.

* * *

When Jace came back from work, the farmhouse was eerily silent. "Clary!" he called out. But there was no answer. He shrugged it off, thinking she must have been sleeping or something.

Walking into the kitchen, he noticed the phone on the floor. Furrowing his eyebrows, he picked it up and placed it back on the receiver. A piece of paper on the counter caught his eye. It was a note in Clary's handwriting:

_Jace, _

_I'm so sorry . I've decided to go back to Sebastian. I love him and being away from him is too difficult. I'm sure he's changed since I left. Thank you for everything you've done, but you no longer need to worry about me. _

_Best of luck,_

_Clarissa Fray._

He stared at the note in disbelief for several minutes. There's no way she would go crawling back to that bastard. He suddenly thought of the phone on the floor. It certainly hadn't been there when he left. Why would Clary have used it? To call Sebastian? No. She had a cellphone for that. Unless, someone had called her on the house phone.

He took out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number: his friend Jordan at the police station.

"Jace? Haven't heard from you in a while," Jordan answered.

"I need to ask a favor."

"Shoot."

"I need you to pull up a phone record for me."

* * *

Clary had just finished putting her things away when Sebastian entered the room. She turned around to face him and his hand struck her across the face. The force and surprise sent her flying to the ground.

"Don't ever fucking pull shit like that again, Clarissa," he growled before bringing his foot back and kicking her.

"I'm sorry!" she cried out.

Sebastian smirked at her. "Oh, I'm going to make you even more sorry than you supposedly are."

"I shouldn't have left! I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me!" she sobbed.

"Pain seems to be the only way to get you to learn." He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her off the ground. "Just remember you are mine, Clarissa. Don't you ever fucking leave again or you might not live to see another day," he hissed before shoving her towards the bed.

* * *

**AN: **I am so sorry. Holy shit. Almost two months. I've just had a lot going on in my life lately and haven't been able to find the time/motivation to write. I would have explained that but I didn't want to be one of the lame people who use an update for author's notes. I'll try to update more regularly now. And make the chapters longer than this one.

**Review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own the Mortal Instruments or any characters/references.**

* * *

He stood behind Jordan, staring over his shoulder at the computer monitor where the phone records were pulled up.

"The only incoming call from the past few days is from a Jocelyn Fray," Jordan said.

Jace's brow furrowed. Clary's mom couldn't have gotten her to leave. There had to be someone else. "What about outgoing calls?" he asked.

Jordan shook his head. "There weren't any."

Sighing, Jace racked his brain. "What about Clary's cellphone records? Can you access those?"

Jordan clicked a few buttons and typed a few codes in before the screen switched to a different list of calls. "Only a bunch of incoming calls from Verlac. But none of them were answered."

Jace felt the urge to give up. All the evidence pointed to Clary leaving on her own free will. But there was something off, something that he was missing. He just couldn't place his finger on it.

* * *

Clary examined herself in the mirror. Her bruises had returned, but this time they were worse. Sebastian had increased the force and frequency of his beatings. It was like she couldn't do anything right anymore; every little thing set him off. She didn't show enough gratitude or love. She didn't speak in the right tone of voice. She didn't wear appropriate clothing. He had also placed more restrictions on her. She was no longer allowed to have a job. She wasn't allowed to leave the apartment or have people over without him present. She wasn't even allowed to make phone calls or write emails without his permission.

She glanced at the clock. Sebastian would be home soon, which meant she needed to start dinner for him. She walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen right as the phone next to the sink began to ring. She stared at it, debating on whether or not to answer. Sebastian wouldn't allow her to make phone calls, but he never said anything about answering them.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Clary?" Luke's voice came through the speaker. "Glad you answered."

"Oh. Hey, Luke. What's up?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Not a lot, kiddo. Just wanted to check up on you. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's perfect," she lied.

"Clary, don't lie to me. Why are you back with Sebastian? Did he threaten you if you didn't come back?"

She sighed heavily. "No, Luke. I came back to him because I missed him. He didn't threaten me. Besides, he's changed. He's not how he used to be."

"You're lying, Clary."

"No, I'm not, Luke." She sounded to defensive even to her own ears.

"Oh, really? Then why hasn't anybody heard from you in the past two weeks? How come nobody's seen you around like they normally do? Clary, I know something's wrong. Why won't you just tell me?"

She scrambled to think of an excuse. "I- I've just been really busy with planning the wedding and everything. I haven't had much time for socializing." The sound of the front door being thrown open and slammed closed echoed through the apartment causing Clary to almost drop the phone. "I have to go now, but I'll try to talk to you soon. Bye, Luke," she rushed out.

She hung up the phone and turned around right as Sebastian entered the kitchen. He looked at her with angry eyes. "Who were you talking to?" he demanded.

"Nobody," she said, trying to feign innocence.

"My dearest Clarissa, I heard you talking to someone and you're standing right next to the phone. I'm going to ask you again, who were you talking to?" he questioned in an eerily calm voice.

"Nobody. You're getting worked up over nothing," she said, hoping he would believe her.

His hand shot out and slapped her. She stared at the ground as he yelled at her. "How dare you lie to me, Clarissa! I'm not fucking stupid. You were talking to someone! Who the fuck was it?"

She replied, still staring at the ground. "I was talki-"

Sebastian grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her cheeks. "Look at me when you are talking to me, Clarissa."

"I was talking to Luke," she said, staring into his fury-filled eyes. "But he called me, I swear."

He shoved her aside and she fell to the floor. He looked down at her, his face full of disgust. "What gave you the right to answer the phone? Didn't I tell you that you aren't allowed to make phone calls, Clarissa?"

"Yes, but-"

"But? Are you really going to argue with me?" He took a menacing step toward her.

"N- No, sir."

He grinned at her. "Good girl. Now, I'm going to let this little phone call slide. But if it happens again, you're going to wish you were never born." He started to walk away. "I'll be in my study. Come get me when dinner is ready."

* * *

Jace sat behind his desk, his head in his hands. As much as he tried, he couldn't get Clary out of his head. He missed her and couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed by the fact that she had gone back to Verlac.

The door to his office opened and Jordan walked in carrying two cups of coffee. "You look like you could use a pick-me-up," he stated, handing a cup to Jace.

Jace took it graciously and looked at Jordan. "Aren't you supposed to be with Maia right now?"

He shrugged. "She's off with Luke. I think they're calling Clary or something. I dunno."

Jace stiffened at the mention of the tiny redhead. "Clary? No use calling her now that she's back with Verlac."

"You're not worried about her?" Jordan asked.

"Why should I be? She went back on her own will. I mean, you saw the phone records. Nothing pointed towards her being coaxed back."

There was a brief silence before Jordan finally spoke with wide eyes. "I remember the phone records and there's something you aren't considering." Jace gave him a look that told him to continue. "There weren't any outgoing calls and the only incoming call was from Jocelyn. How would Clary have gotten out of the farmhouse and back into the city? She sure as hell didn't walk. She obviously didn't call anybody to pick her up. Her mother lives across the country. I think there's a lot more to that phone call from Jocelyn than we think."

Jace just stared at him for a few seconds before replying. "I guess there's only one way to find out. You can get Jocelyn's number, right?" Jordan nodded. "Well, I think we have a few phone calls to make."

* * *

Yeah. I know I suck. And I feel terrible for not updating in like 3 months even though I said I would start updating regularly. But my life kinda started to fall apart and I lost the motivation to write. And I'm sorry if this chapter sucked. I just wanted to update to try and get back on track. I'm not making any promises, but I'll try my best to update again soon. Thanks for the awesome reviews.

By the way, if anybody has a tumblr, you should follow me. My url is the same as my pen name.


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own the Mortal Instruments.**

* * *

Clary moved around the apartment cleaning everything she could think of. Cleaning was the only thing kept her sane while being locked up in her own personal prison. She was determined to make every inch of the apartment spotless. Except Sebastian's office. She had been forbidden from ever stepping foot in there.

She rummaged through the couch cushions, pulling out change and trash that Sebastian had lost in them. Her hand brushed over something silky and she stopped. She stared at the pair of satin red panties that were most definitely not hers. "Sebastian!" she called out.

The door to Sebastian's study opened and Clary looked up at him with tear brimmed eyes.

"Clarissa? What's wrong?" he asked with what sounded like genuine concern in his voice?

"What the hell is this?" she replied quietly, standing up and throwing the lacy object at him.

He looked at her with wide eyes. "It's nothing, Clarissa. It was in the past. You were gone and I was lonely."

White hot rage suddenly filled her. She stared at him with her hands balled into fists at her sides. "You don't get to do this, Sebastian." He looked at her with confusion and she could see his own anger starting to appear, but she didn't care. "You don't get to keep me locked up here and control me. You don't get to basically kidnap me because you _missed_ me when you obviously didn't. You don't need me. You can fuck as many random girls as you want to fill your needs. Find one of them to contorl because I'm done."

She walked past him but he reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, fire burning in his eyes.

She met his gaze with her own burning eyes. She was too angry to care if he physically hurt her or even killed her. The emotional damage was bad enough. She had let herself believe in the past few weeks that he actually cared about her and loved her, that she meant something to him and that was why he wanted her back. But she had been wrong. He hadn't really missed her. He had random girls to fuck and ditch to fill her place. It all boiled down to control with him and she was tired of being his puppet. "I'm leaving. For good this time."

His grip on her arm tightened, but she didn't even blink. "No, you are not. You are mine, Clarissa. I own you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Wanna bet?"

Clary yanked her arm out of his grip and brought her knee up into his groin. He heeled over and she kneed him in his face. The sound of his nose breaking echoed throughout the room with a sickening crack.

She looked at him with blood streaming down his face for only a second before running out of the apartment.

* * *

Jace knocked lightly on the hotel room door and cast a sideways glance at Jordan. They had called Jocelyn in an attempt to learn more about why Clary had left and it had turned out Jocelyn was currently staying in New York for a few days. She had agreed to talk with them, but wanted to make sure it was in person.

The door opened to reveal a woman who was the spitting image of Clary. She glanced nervously up and down the hallway before ushering Jace and Jordan inside. Jace examined her and noticed the stiffness of her stance and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Mrs. Fray," he said softly, "you don't need to worry. You're going to be absolutely fine. We just need some information so we can help you and your daughter."

She nodded slightly. "What do you want to know?"

Jace let out a deep sigh. "What happened during your phone call with Clary.

Jocelyn just stood there, staring at floor, for a moment before she explained everything.

_Jocelyn was sitting at home grading some art pieces done by her students. It was late, almost midnight, but she needed to get them done before the next class. Her front door slammed open and her head snapped up. Two men in suits entered the dining room and she opened her mouth to scream. Before she could, one of them placed a hand over her mouth, silencing her. The other pulled a syringe out of his pocket and injected something into her neck. Before she really knew what was happening, the world went black._

_ She woke up to find herself tied to a chair in some dingy apartment. She recognized the familiar noises of New York being muffled my the walls. _

_ "Oh, good. You're awake." an oddly familiar voice exclaimed. Sebastian stepped into her view and she let out a gasp. "I need your help getting your daughter back, Mrs. Fray." He moved behind her and untied her hands before standing in front of her again, holding her cellphone in his hand. "You are going to call Clarissa and tell her that Magnus informed you of what happened and you think that it's in her best interest to forgive me and give me another chance, understand?"_

_ She nodded weakly, confused by the whole situation. What happened? Why wasn't Clary with Sebastian and why was he so desperate to get her back? Whatever the reason was, it couldn't be good._

_ "Good," he said, handing her the phone and a slip of paper with a number scrawled on it._

_ She dialed the number with numb fingers and brought the phone to her ear. The phone rang several times before an answeing machine picked up. "Clary, it's me," she said. "Call me back please, honey."_

_ She was about to hang up when somebody on the other line picked up the phone. "Mom?" Clary's voice came breathless through the speaker._

_ "Clary, I need you to listen to me," she said and glanced at Sebastian. There was something off about the look in his eyes. It was malicious and she knew nothing good would come from him. She had to protect her daughter. "Whatever happens, promise me you will never go back to Sebastian," she rushed out._

_ Sebastian's expression quickly turned to one of rage and he slapped her, causing her to let out a scream. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and Sebastian took the phone from her._

_ "Hello, Clarissa," he said. There was a pause as Clary replied. "Haven't you missed me?" He laughed at whatever Clary said next. Jocelyn hated only getting one side of the conversation. "Pity. I think you should come home, Clarissa."_

_ His eyes darkened at her reply. "Hmm…" He paused for a moment and looked at Jocelyn with a smirk. "Because if you don't, I can't guarantee your mother will remain unharmed."He paused again as she replied. "Don't worry, Clarissa. I will let her go as long as you come back to me."_

_ A grin spread across his face. "Excellent. A car will be outside the farmhouse in half an hour. Don't tell anyone this conversation happened. I will find out if you do, Clarissa."_

_ He closed the phone and signaled to who ever else was in the room. Jocelyn felt the sting of another needle before she fell unconscious again._

Jordan was the first to speak. "Jocelyn, if it's alright, I would like to bring you down to the station. We can give you the protection you need and we could really use what you just told us as evidence for a case against Verlac."

"Will it help Clary?" she asked quietly.

"Yes." Jace and Jordan said at the same time.

"Okay. I'll do it."

* * *

Jace parked his car in the garage and sat there for a moment. It had been a long night. He had gone with Jordan to take Jocelyn to the station before going to his office to start building a stronger case. All he wanted to do was get Clary as far away from Verlac as possible. But he couldn't do that . Not yet. All he could do was sit around and wait and that killed him.

He finally made his way inside the apartment building and to his floor. There was something outside his door and as he moved closer he realized it was a hooded person sitting against the wall with their knees pulled up to their chest. Jace approached them carefully and could hear quiet sobs escaping them.

"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously. The person lifted their head and Jace let out a sigh of both relief and worry. "Clary." He picked her up and carried her inside his apartment. He gently placed her on the couch and looked at her, his heart breaking. Her face was covered in bruises and cuts. Her eyes were blood shot and a dull green and her body was trembling slightly.

"What are you doing here, Clary?"

"I- I left him, Jace," she whispered.

He smiled at her. "That's great, Clary!"

She looked at him with eyes filled with terror. "No, it's not. He's going to come after me again and this time will be worse."

"What do you mean?"

"I hit him, Jace. I _hit_ him and left. He's going to want revenge and he won't stop at anything. I'm scared, Jace. I'm so fucking scared," she said before breaking down again.

* * *

Oh, hey. I finally updated.

Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing with this story anymore. I'm just kinda winging it. So there probably won't be very many chapters after this. But I will try to update sooner since this is my last week of school and I'll have more free time to write. I know I keep saying I'll update more regularly but this time I actually mean it, okay?

**Review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Still don't own the Mortal Instruments**

* * *

Jace sat next to Clary on the couch and pulled her close to him. He rubbed her back and whispered reassurances to her as she sobbed into his chest. She didn't know how long they sat there and she didn't care. She felt safe in Jace's arms. Like he could protect her from anything. But at the same time, she knew it was a false sense of security. She wasn't really safe and she never would be. Not as long as Sebastian was still around.

She stood up, wiped the last of the tears off her face, and looked at Jace. "I have to leave, Jace," she said with a hoarse voice.

"What do you mean?" he asked, standing up and gently placing his hands on her hips.

Removing herself from his touch, she crossed her arms and stared at him. "I can't stay here. Sebastian's going to look for me and it's only a matter of time before he figures it out. He's not only going to hurt me this time, he'll hurt you, too. I can't put you in that position. I need to get as far away from you as I can."

He grabbed her shoulders and bent down to eye level with her. "Clarissa Fray, I do not care if Sebastian comes after me. In case you haven't noticed, I can handle myself. You are staying here. You stand a better chance here where I can keep an eye on you than off on your own."

"But Sebastian's going to-"

Jace shook his head. "I don't care, Clary. Besides, he's not going to have a chance to find you. Jordan is with your mother right now working on a way to get him into custody. From there, it will be all about proving just how guilty he his. Then, you will be free, Clary. You will never have to worry about him again. You're staying here."

She wanted to believe him. She really did. But she couldn't. Sebastian was too powerful. He'd find a way to get her and drop off the radar before Jordan could ever get the chance to arrest him. "Jace," she sighed, "I can't. I mean it."

His eyes hardened. "Clary, you are staying here even if I have to tie you up and lock you in a closet."

His voice was commanding and reminded her of Sebastian. It struck fear in her. She quickly agreed with a nod of her head and a tiny okay.

* * *

He hated it. He hated the way he had to talk to her. But it was the only way that he could get her to stay. He had to make her afraid of him. It was for her own good, though. She wouldn't survive an hour on her own. Sebastian had eyes and ears all over the city and probably had people already looking for her. Jace new the only real safe place was in his apartment where he could keep an eye on her and know where she was. If he had to leave, he had friends in the building that could watch out for her for him.

He looked at her and noticed how tired she looked. "Come on," he said quietly, "let's go to bed."

She followed him into his bedroom and he gave her a pair of boxers and and old t shirt to change into as he stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed. Clary slid in next to him a few seconds later and he put an arm around her, pulling her close.

This is how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be with Clary and she was supposed to be with him. They were supposed to sleep in the same bed, pressed up against each other. They were supposed to wake up in the morning next to each other. This is the way he wanted it to be.

* * *

After going to the ER to get his nose bandaged, Sebastian was well beyond pissed. Not only had that little bitch _hit_ him, it only got worse from there. The only doctor available had been Magnus. He had given Sebastian a knowing, and mocking, look before taking care of him. And as he walked out of the hospital, he could hear Magnus and the other doctors laughing about it.

Now that he was at home, he let his rage loose. He threw vases and picture frames at walls, enjoying the way they shattered. How _dare_ she embarass him like that? After all he had done for her. He had given her a perfect life. What could possibly make her think it was okay to cause him that much embarrassment and risk tarnishing his reputation?

He wasn't sure. But there was one thing he was sure of: he was going to make her pay.

* * *

Clary woke up to find the other side of the bed empty. She slowly got out of bed and stretched before exiting the room. She found Jace leaning against the kitchen counter in a suit, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. He looked up at her as she entered. "Good morning," he smiled.

"Morning," she yawned.

"Listen, I have to go into work today. It'll only be for a few hours. I just really need to work on building a better case on Verlac and I'm going to need other's help so I can't do it from home."

Her eyes grew wide and she stared at him. "But Sebastian is looking for me right now. What if he comes here, Jace? What am I supposed to do?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'd leave you unprotected?" He opened a drawer and pulled out a small handgun.

Clary's mouth fell open. "You're leaving me with a gun? Do you really think I'll be able to shoot someone? Even if it is Sebastian?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll do whatever's necessary to keep yourself alive. Besides, you most likely won't even need it. Do you know how to shoot one?"

She nodded slowly. "My mom used to date this guy who was pretty big on the second amendment and took me shooting a few times."

"Okay," Jace said, setting the gun down on the counter. "Just remember, don't use it unless absolutely necessary. I don't even think you'll need it. I'm just leaving it here so you can feel safer. Now, I really need to go, but I'll only be gone for three hours tops, okay?"

"Alright. Stay safe," she said.

He walked over and kissed her on the forehead before walking out the door.

* * *

She stared at the clock. Jace was supposed to have been back over an hour ago. She had tried calling him, but he didn't pick up and she was starting to worry.

A loud knock sounded from the door and she froze. Another knock came and she slowly got up and silently walked toward the kitchen and picked the gun up off the counter.

"Clarissa!" a male voice called. "Let me in!"

The voice was muffled and she couldn't tell who it was. It could be anybody. Including Sebastian or any of his minions. Her heart rate picked up and she suddenly felt like shew as either going to throw up or pass out.

The doorknob started to rattle violently as someone tried to enter the apartment. Clary took a deep breath and aimed the gun at the door just as the intruder opened it.

* * *

Oh hey. Only took me two weeks to update this time. Yay.

**Review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I still don't own the Mortal Instruments. Shocking, I know.**

* * *

"Jesus, Clary!" a familiar male voice exclaimed as its owner looked at the gun in her hand.

"_Jordan?_" she breathed before losing it. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"What was _I _thinking?" he yelled back. "You're the one pointing a gun at me!"

She lowered the gun and set on the counter. "You could have been Sebastian for I all I know. Next time you knock try something along the lines of 'Hey, Clary. It's Jordan. Not some psycho here to abduct you. Please let me in.' What are you doing here anyway?"

"Jace got held up at his office so he asked me to come check on you. But it looks like you've got yourself handled," he said with a small smile.

Clary smiled sadly at him. "Looks can be deceiving, Jordan," she said as she sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

"I understand this is rough for you Clarissa, but-"

Clary looked up and narrowed her eyes at him. "No, Jordan. You _don't_ understand. Nobody does. You don't know what it's like to have loved someone so much and to have given them everything only for them to _destroy _you and your life. I have no control over anything anymore. Any control I think I have is just an illusion. The truth is, everything I do revolves around Sebastian. I mean, look at me. I have lost all freedom. I'm hiding out in an apartment that's not even mine. And the second Sebastian finds out I'm here, I'll be forced to hide out somewhere else. On top of all this bullshit, I'm putting other people in danger too. My mom, my friends, Jace. Do you know what that feels like? Knowing that other people, people you care about, are being harmed because of you? Let me tell you, Jordan, it's a shitty feeling."

He stared at her for a few seconds, a sympathetic expression on his face. "I think I have a temporary solution to your problems." Clary gave him a questioning look as he disappeared into Jace's kitchen. He returned carrying a bottle of tequila, shot glasses, and limes. "You are going to drown your sorrows in booze," he said with a grin.

* * *

Jace sat at his desk, staring blankly at the folders and files scattered across it. Finding concrete evidence against Verlac had proven to be more difficult than he expected. There was so much he knew that wouldn't hold up in court. He glanced at the clock. He should have been home hours ago. But he was stuck here. He wasn't alone. Alec, Izzy, and Magnus had all volunteered to help him. But he was still far away from the one person he wanted to be with at the moment.

"Jace," Izzy sighed. "We all should go home. Call it a day."

Jace shook his head. The idea sounded nice, but he couldn't. "You guys are free to go. I can't leave yet. I am going to put all my effort into this case. I can't afford to even _risk_ losing it."

The thought of losing the case disgusted Jace. If Verlac go to walk free, he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself. After all he had done to Clary. Not to mention Magnus and Jocelyn. But Clary deserved it the least. She was sweet and innocent and beautiful. Jace just couldn't comprehend how anybody could lay a hand on her. Sebastian never deserved her. The bastard didn't even deserve to be alive, but unfortunately he was. Jace was just going to make sure Verlac wished he were dead.

Alec put a hand on Jace's shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. "Go home, Jace. Get some rest. I'll do some work at home, but you need to be with Clary right now."

Jace sighed and put his head on his desk. "Alright."

* * *

Clary didn't know how many shots she had taken, but she did she wasn't anywhere close to stopping. Jordan, who looked impressed, watched as she downed shot after shot. She eventually tossed the shot glass aside and looked at Jordan with bloodshot eyes. "No more shots. Just give me the bottle. It's a go big or go home situation and I have no intentions of going home," she slurred.

Jordan had a mental debate. Getting her _that _drunk probably wouldn't be such a good idea. On the other hand, she needed it. He gave in and passed her the bottle. She smiled broadly at him.

"Thanks, JoJo. You're the best!" she giggled.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "JoJo?"

"Hey! No raising eyebrows around me. You know I can't do that!" She took a gulp of the tequila and scrunched her face. "This is disgusting."

Jordan let out a small laugh. "Then stop drinking it."

She shook her head. "No way, Jose."

Jordan was about to reply when Jace's voice rang out. "I'm back!"

Clary's face lit up and she jumped off the couch. "Jacey!"

Jace entered the room and glared at Jordan. "Is she drunk?" Jordan didn't reply. "I appreciate you looking after her, but please get out. Right now."

Jordan quickly left after muttering a short apology. Jace approached Clary and took the bottle out of her hands. "Hey!" she pouted. "That's mine."

Jace couldn't help but smile at her. "Clary, I think you've had enough."

* * *

Jace was cleaning up the living room when Clary suddenly got up and bolted to the bathroom. He followed her to find her emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. "You really shouldn't drink that much," he said as he held her hair back for her.

She glared at him and rested her head against the porcelain. "But it makes me feel better, Jace. It makes me forget about how fucked up everything is."

He sat on the floor next to her and pulled her into his embrace. He stroked her hair comfortingly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Clary. But things will get better. I promise. I'm not going to let you down."

The truth was, he couldn't blame her for getting wasted. That didn't mean he liked it, though. He also knew it had been Jordan's idea. It was stupid of him to do. What if something happened. Clary wasn't capable of taking care of herself in her current state. Still, nothing did happen, so he knew he would forgive Jordan.

He looked at Clary again. she had her eyes closed and was on the brink of sleep. She looked so peaceful. Like she didn't have worry in the world. He wished it was that way. He wished she didn't have to worry about Sebastian. He wished she could live her life carefree. He wished he could take all her pain away and he planned on making that wish come true. All he had to do was win the case.

A loud bang sounded from the front door and Jace quickly stood up. Peering outside of the bathroom, he saw two large men enter the apartment. He cursed under his breath and looked at Clary, who was still too drunk to completely comprehend.

"Clary, we gotta get out of here. Come on."

He helped her off the floor and glanced out of the room again. He could hear the men rummaging around in the living room. Dragging Clary with him, he rushed into his bedroom. He ran over to the window and forced it open, looking down the fire escape. He looked at Clary.

"I am going to help you out of the window and down the fire escape. The second your feet touch the ground, I need you to run. I don't care where. Just run. Understand?"

She nodded and he helped her climb out the window. With an arm wrapped around her, he lead her down the metal stairs. She stopped leaning on him so much as she started to realize what was happening. She climbed down the ladder at the end on her own and jumped down to the ground. She looked at him, fear evident in her eyes as he began to climb back up.

"Jace?" she whispered. He turned back and looked at her. "Be careful."

* * *

Clary followed Jace's instructions and ran with no destination in mind. The fear and adrenaline running through her veins sobered her up. She ran under streetlights and past abandoned buildings. While running past an alley, she felt strong arms reach out and grab her from behind.

She let out a scream and a hand quickly covered her mouth. "Now, now, dear Clarissa. There's no need to scream," Sebastain whispered into her ear.

* * *

Wow. Over 300 reviews. You guys rock and I love you all. (:

**Review. Or don't. It's not my place to tell you what to do.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Still don't own the Mortal Instruments.**

* * *

Clary thrashed around in Sebastian's grip, his hand muffling her screams. He tightened his arms around her and dragged her through the alley. A limo was waiting for them at the end. The driver opened the back door and Sebastian roughly pushed Clary in and closed the door behind them.

The vehicle started to move and Clary looked at Sebastian with fearful eyes. The window between the driver and passengers was up, leaving her completely alone with him.

"W-Where are we going?" she asked.

Sebastian smiled maniacally at her. "Somewhere nobody is ever going to find us. Where we can be alone without any interruptions."

She swallowed hard and asked her next question. "What are you going to do to me?"

He cocked his head to the side and studied her for a moment. "Punish you, of course," he replied nonchalantly. When her eyes widened and her mouth opened, he quickly added, "But let's not worry about that. Right now, I just want to have some fun."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he slowly stroked her cheek. "I missed you so much, you know that?" He smashed his lips against hers and laid her down on the seat.

Clary pushed against him, but he didn't seem to be affected. He moved his hands to her hips and slowly pushed her shirt up, pulling it off of her. She fought harder against him as he trailed kisses down her neck, and he let out a sigh. From his pocket, he pulled out a zip tie and bound her wrists in front of her. "Much better," he whispered.

"Sebastian, stop. Please," she begged as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"Stop what?"

"What you're doing. Don't do this, please."

He smirked at her. "I'm not doing what you're expecting," he murmured in her ear as he pulled out a knife, the blade gleaming menacingly at Clary.

"What's that for?" she stammered out.

He kissed her on the lips again. "To make sure you know you're mine, forever."

Sebastian stared her in the eyes as he moved his hand down her body, stopping about halfway between her breasts and belly button. She turned her head to the side, but he grabbed her face and demanded she look at him. He wanted to see her expression as he made her his forever.

She felt the sting of the knife and the trickle of blood as he carved something into her flesh. Throwing her head back, she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a blood curdling scream. Clary wriggled under him as he continued to drag the blade across her skin.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to Clary, he stopped and sat up. With a grin plastered on his face, he admired his work. Clary tried to sit up to see what he did, but he roughly pushed her back down.

"Not yet," he smiled cruelly. "I want to keep you guessing."

As he was wiping her blood off the knife, the driver's voice came through the speakers. "Uh, sir. I think we're being followed."

Sebastian growled and stood up, sending a glare at Clary. "Move and I kill you." He walked over to a phone on the limousine wall and picked it up. "Then lose them, you idiot." He paused for a second. "Drive faster and take a different route." Another pause. "If you don't lose them, being out of work will be the least of your worries." With that, he slammed the phone back in its cradle. She felt the engine rev as the driver picked up his speed.

"Looks like your knight in shining armor is coming for you," he smirked.

Clary's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Jace. Was it really him following them? Wouldn't he have been held up with the men in the apartment? Part of her hoped it wasn't him. It would only end badly if it was.

The driver took a sharp turn and Clary had to grab the seat to keep from falling off, but Sebastian was thrown into the wall. Clary let out a small laugh at him, which was a big mistake.

Sebastian, knife gripped in his hand stalked towards her. "Do you think that's funny, Clarissa?"

She gulped. "No. Not at all. I didn't mean to laugh."

He sat next to her and pulled her into a sitting position. She hissed at the pain that spread from the wounds he inflicted. "Do you think Prince Charming will want you, Clarissa? After what I did?" He gestured to her abdomen and she held back a gasp. He stood back up and smiled at her. "I think we both know he won't."

In thin, jagged letters were the words "Property of Sebastian Verlac." The cuts were deep enough to scar and Clary felt her heart sink. Would Jace want her after she had been marked as Sebastian's? Would he want damaged goods? _He already knows all of your baggage_, she tried to reason with herself. But would he be able to handle that daily reminder? Would she be able to handle it?

Suddenly, the limo lurched to a stop, sending Sebastian into the window and Clary on the floor. Her head cracked painfully against the hard floor and vision blurred around the edges. She could make out Sebastian passed out a few inches away. The sound of muffle sirens filled her ears and she tried to move, but couldn't find the energy to.

The door opened and Clary winced at the bright lights that filled the previously dark limo. She could hear voices but her head was swimming and she couldn't make anything out. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was someone calling her name and a mess of golden hair.

* * *

Jace slammed on his breaks behind the limo, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth. Jordan had been able to cut it off with his police car. Jace climbed out of his car with a flashlight and met Jordan, who had his gun drawn and pointed at the driver.

"Back up is on its way," he said. "I would tell you to wait to get Clary, but I know that would be pointless. So just be careful."

Jace nodded, his hand twitching toward the gun he had attached to his hip in a holster. He made his way to the passenger door and pulled it open, shining the flashlight in. The first thing he saw was a seemingly unconscious Sebastian.

"Verlac's out cold," he called to Jordan.

"Okay. Hurry and get Clary out of there."

Jace moved the flashlight to see Clary laying a few inches away from Sebastian. "Clary!" he yelled and moved towards her. He noticed a gash on her forehead and cuts on her stomach. Her eyes were slowly drooping closed. "Clary, stay with me, baby." Her eyes closed completely, but he could still see the soft rise and fall of her chest. He gently picked her up bridal-style and carried her out.

A few minutes later, two more police cars and an ambulance arrived to the scene. The paramedics took Clary from Jace, but allowed him to ride with her. He sat in the back of the ambulance holding her hand and hoping the bastard hadn't hurt her too bad.

* * *

Clary knew she was in the hospital before she even opened her eyes. The beeping of the hear monitor and the scent of sterilizers gave it away. There was a pounding in her head and a sharp pain in her stomach. The events that landed her here flew through her mind.

Sitting up with a groan, she turned to see Jace asleep in a chair next to her bed. His blond hair was a ruffled mess, his clothes were wrinkled, and dark circles had formed under his eyes.

Someone cleared their throat in their doorway and Clary looked to see Magnus standing there. He entered and tossed a glance at Jace.

"He literally hasn't left your side since you got here, which has been about three days," he said.

Clary's eyebrows rose. Three days? She wasn't surprised about being out that long, but she was surprised Jace had been there that long.

"You should be released soon," Magnus continued. "Just a minor concussion. The pain killers are what kept you out for so long." He paused for a moment. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Clary smiled at him. "I'm glad I'm alright, too... Do you know what happened to Seb?"

Magnus wave a hand in the air. "No need to worry about him, dear. He was sent to another hospital until he's healthy enough to be taken to prison. Arrested on attempted kidnapping charges. For now."

"Okay. That's good, I guess. It means I'll be safe for a while."

Magnus stepped closer to her. "You're going to be safe from him for the rest of your life, Clary. Do you really think he," he gestured toward Jace, "is going to let Sebastian get away with just a kidnapping charge? Jordan was in here earlier and they were making a whole list of charges. They're going to put that bastard away for a very,very long time, sweetie."

Clary looked at Jace. "I guess you're right."

* * *

The next day, Clary sat on Jace's couch cuddled up against him as they watched some dumb movie on TV. Jace gently kissed her on the forehead.

"You have no idea how glad I am to have you here," he whispered.

Clary smiled and looked up at him. "And you have no idea how glad I am to be here."

His eyes drifted down toward her lips and she gave him a slight nod. Without wasting a second, he pressed his mouth against hers and she kissed him back passionately, tangling her hands in his hair. His hands began to move under her shirt and push it up, causing her to freeze. He had only seen the cuts the night she got them and they were too covered in blood for him to make out anything. She wasn't prepared for him to see them. He pulled back, but didn't move his hands.

"What's wrong, Clare?" he asked with concern.

She cast her eyes downward and decided to be honest. "The cuts that Sebastian gave me," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't want you to see them. You won't want me."

He removed his hands and tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. "What are you talking about?"

A few tears escaped her eyes and he wiped them away. "You won't want me after you see them. After you see what they say."

"Clarissa Adele Fray, there is absolutely nothing that could make me not want you. I care about you way too much. Just let me see them. Please?"

He moved his hands to the hem of her shirt again and began to slowly remove it. She didn't try to stop him and simply closed her eyes. Once he pulled it over her head, she peeked at him through one eye. Anger flashed across his features.

"That son of a bitch," he muttered.

Clary let out a sob and quickly pulled her shirt back on. "See? How could you want me after seeing that?" she cried. "It's just a daily reminder of all that happened. A daily reminder that I belong to Sebastian and I always will."

Jace pulled Clary to him and she cried into his chest. "That's not at all what it is, Clare. It's a daily reminder of how strong you are. You suffered so much, but you made it and you're still here today."

She pulled back and looked at him. "So you aren't going to leave me?"

He shook his head slightly. "Of course not, Clary. I love you too much."

* * *

So probably only one or two chapters left.

**Review.**


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